By lucianne limo
The crowded courtrooms and foul stench emanating from the cells will soon be a thing of the past as the Nairobi Law Courts is set to relocate to the Sh1.2 billion newly refurbished building at Community.
Public Works Minister Chris Obure yesterday handed over the courthouse, which is the biggest in East Africa, to Chief Justice Evan Gicheru.
The CJ said the High Court division and the Subordinate Court would be moved from the Nairobi Law Courts within three months.
"We urgently need to move to the new court to create room for the Supreme Court and other offices in line with the new constitutional dispensation," he said.
Gicheru said the new courthouse will accommodate more judges who will deal with the backlog of cases that has dogged the Judiciary.
Several facilities
Refurbishment of the court has cost the taxpayer Sh930 million while new furniture for the courthouse will cost Sh225 million.
The courthouse will have several facilities including 57 courtrooms, 57 judges and magistrates offices, 74 cells for accused persons, public restaurant, advocates common room and electronic record management centre for capturing court proceedings.
Litigants and lawyers will go through a gate-screening house. Public toilets are also available.
Gicheru said the Judiciary has already procured the prisons industries department to provide the courtroom with benches.
The Supreme Court will be based at the Nairobi Law Courts.
