Residents urged to make full use of the Thika ELC to solve Land and Environmental disputes.
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| Thika Environment and Lands Court (ELC) Judge Lady Justice Lucy Gacheru (second left) takes members of the Court Users Committee (CUC) Alfred Wanyoike (extreme left), Gladys Chania (in red dress), Aboo Nurein and Millicent Ngare (partly hidden) through the court processes during a familiarisation tour of the facility on Monday. |
Speaking during a visit by the Court Users Committee (CUC)
members who were on a familiarisation tour of the facility, Lady Justice Lucy
Gacheru assured them of the court’s commitment to expedite all cases before
them and especially to clear the backlog inherited from the Nairobi court.
“Previously, all these cases were being handled from
Nairobi. We have adjudicated a number of them as we continue receiving new ones
from Thika and Kiambu. I urge all those with any land cases to make full use of
this court,” said Justice Gacheru.
She thanked Kiambu County Government for donating the
facility to the judiciary saying that this has gone a long way in the
administration of justice both in environmental disputes as well as in cases
involving land ownership.
“I would like to personally thank the governor (Ferdinand
Waititu) for donating the chambers to us. We can never take that for granted.
Likewise, in the spirit of Public-Private Partnership, I urge the local community
to work hand in hand with us as we work on the pending renovations and
improvements,” she said.
Alfred
Wanyoike, who led the civilian CUC team visiting the court, promised to
mobilise community support to help it serve the people better and with speed.
“We
will accord your team maximum support and go an extra mile to mobilise for
resources to ensure this place is more habitable and well equipped to serve our
people,” said Wanyoike, who is also the Thika District Business Association
(TDBA) Chairman.
Madam
Gladys Chania donated a cabinet to help the court store their documents.
The CUC is the link between the judiciary and the public who are the key stakeholders in judicial administration.
In
2006, the Judiciary came up with the idea of having CUCs to address the frustration
over the shroud of mystery that has continued to surround the Judiciary and
judicial processes.
The Thika ELC was started in 2017 to deal with disputes relating to land administration and
management as well as environmental cases within Kiambu County.
It is located directly opposite the Thika Sub-County Stadium's main gate.
It is located directly opposite the Thika Sub-County Stadium's main gate.
It has the same status as the High Court and has original and appellate
jurisdiction to hear and determine all disputes in accordance with Article
162(2)(b) of the Constitution and with the provisions of Act or
any other written law relating to environment and land.
The
court is also empowered to hear cases relating to public, private and community
land and contracts, chooses in action or other instruments granting any
enforceable interests in land. It also exercises appellate jurisdiction over
the decisions of subordinate courts or local tribunals in respect of matters
falling within the jurisdiction of the Court.
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