Civil Cases in Kenya: The hearing of civil cases in Kenya has been suspended. The suspension was announced by the Chief Justice David Maraga in the wake of the first case of the rampaging coronavirus.
“With regard to new arrests, all cases except serious ones will be dealt with at police stations in accordance with guidelines to be issued by the Inspector-General of Police,” CJ Maraga said.
He also declared that prisoners and remandees will not be presented to court for the two weeks.
“In compliance with the directive issued by the National Emergency and Response Committee, we shall forthwith scale down court activities throughout the country over the next two weeks effective tomorrow, March 16, 2020, in order to allow further consultations and design appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.
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Some of the activities not affected by the decisions include plea taking in serious cases and handling of the certificate of urgency. However, the nature of cases on which accused persons will take plea has however not been revealed. During this time, the CJ says that judges will continue working and courts will review cases identified by prison authorities to be prosecuted so that the facilities can be congested. Also, Magistrate courts will be reviewing the bail terms.
Maraga also banned trainings and foreign trips and has formed an inter-agency body to help the NCAJ come up with further precautionary decisions. “All conferences, workshops, colloquia, and training programmes are suspended until further notice. There will be no foreign travel for the next 30 days for the staff of the justice sector institutions, whether official or private, save for exceptional circumstances,” he said in a statement. Civil Cases in Kenya.