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Kenya: Activities At Mombasa Courts in Near Halt as Staff Contract COVID-19

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6 years ago

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Activities at the Mombasa Law Courts have been crippled as only one judge is now set to handle urgent cases after 11 staff tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

In a new guideline issued after deliberations by the court users committee this week, it was directed that only urgent matters will be handled by Presiding Judge Eric Ogola.

Handling of the urgent matters has been scaled down to three days every week.

“There will be no open court proceedings until July 3, to be reviewed at the lapse of the intervening period,” the committee said.

VIRTUAL MEETING

The virtual meeting was attended by Chief Justice David Maraga, all judicial officers within the Mombasa station, office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and that of Attorney-General, members of Mombasa Law Society, National Police Service and the Prisons Department

Justice Maraga ordered for the closure of the court last week following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease at the station where 11 members including judicial officers and staff contracted Covid-19.

This is after the Ministry of Health directed the closure of the court premises and sent 118 members, identified as contact persons, on self-quarantine for a period of 14 days to curb the spread of the virus.

The court users committee that sat after the directive by MoH also resolved that all matters scheduled for hearing or mention during this period be given dates once normal court registry operations resume unless any official communication is issued to parties directing otherwise.

AUTOMATIC EXTENSION

Also, cases with temporary orders set to expire during this time when open court sessions are suspended shall be automatically extended.

This means that the status quo would remain as had been given by court until directed otherwise.

Due to limited staff available at the moment, one central registry will be opened for the Judicial Review and Constitutional Division and the High Court and Commercial Division to ensure services are not completely grounded.

The central registry, the committee said, will only receive and register urgent matters from litigants.

“Such matters will be placed before the presiding judge on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of every week during this period,” the committee said.