Case backlog as Nyeri courts fall short of prosecutors

By NDERITU GICHURE

Kenya: Nyeri law courts are experiencing a serious shortage of prosecutors, The Standard has established.

The Office of the Directorate of Prosecution has conceded that lack of numbers has had a negative effect on dispensation of justice.

Mr Job Kaigai, head of public prosecution in the region, said everything possible was being done to rectify the situation. His sentiments were echoed by a long-serving lawyer who cited the shortage as one of the challenges facing the Judiciary at the present.

Mr Mugugu Muriu, who has been in law practice for the last 40 years, noted “the shortage of prosecutors and shoddy investigations of criminal cases” as some of the challenges currently hampering and slowing down administration of justice.

Sources said the magistrate courts are the worst hit. Cases in these courts start as late as 11am, a majority being pleas.

Complainants often arrive early in the morning and are forced to wait four to five hours before their cases are heard.  Many of those interviewed by The Standard expressed disappointment, saying they waste a lot of time waiting for a single legal officer to deal with several cases.

“I came here very early in the morning from Mweiga for my brother’s case only for us to wait for two hours before we were told the magistrate was going to take long because prosecutors were not enough,” complained Mr John Maina.