Kenya: Magistrate's court to be established in Borabu

Borabu MP Ben Momanyi has said the Judiciary will, in the next one month, open a Magistrate's court in the area.

Speaking to the Press at his constituency office on Thursday after meeting with senior officials from the Judiciary, the MP said the court will save residents from having to travel to Keroka and Kisii to hear and or attend to their legal issues.

"There are still many people in pockets of this county who do not have easy access to courts. The law sets important infrastructure targets such as building a magistrate's court in every sub-county and a High Court in every county.

I ask the two arms of government to allocate resources for these tasks," he said.

There have been several cases of cattle rustling in the area, which also borders Sotik constituency, and most have been handled at Keroka which has a magistrate's court and in Nyamira town which has a law court.

A Magistrate's Court has the authority to hear all criminal cases except murder, treason and crimes under international criminal law.

Such a court comes in handy when all other accepted conflict resolution mechanisms have failed.

"Our expectation is that these courts are not just places for the adjudication of disputes but also places that provide opportunity for residents to participate in their Government as employees, suppliers and contractors," the MP said.