Rent Restriction Tribunal to resume physical court operations

Supreme Court building in Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The Rent Restriction Tribunal has announced the resumption of physical registry services and open court proceedings from next week.

In a brief yesterday, the Tribunal Chair Hillary Korir gave a detailed plan of how the reopening would take place in lieu of Covid-19 protocols.

Koris said physical registry services have been reinstated at the Nairobi and Nakuru Rent Tribunals. 

“Court proceedings will take place from Monday-Thursday in two sessions. One from 9.00 am-10.45 am,” he added.

Court will then go on a 30-minute recess to allow for sanitization of the courtroom and resume for a second session from 11.15 am-1.00 pm.

According to Korir, the courtrooms will only accommodate 16 people per session.

The Chair also said parties have been invited to fix dates at the registry for pending matters that were scheduled for hearing between March 28 to June 10 and did not proceed.

In March, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu announced the closure of courts, tribunals, and registries in Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu and Nakuru counties to the public, following President Uhuru’s directive to lock down the five counties, termed as the one-zoned area.

The DCJ said any matters requiring a hearing would be conducted virtually.

"Like all other sectors, the Judiciary and the rest of the criminal and civil justice agencies were asked to take immediate action to eliminate nonessential physical contact that may lead to crowding or the propagation of the disease," she said in a statement.

The closure came at a time Kenya was facing a third wave of the coronavirus, and rising infections in the five counties.  

Some courts across the country continue to remain closed to physical proceedings, and only urgent matters being heard in person.