Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 936272,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/936272/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 393,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kasanga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13185,
        "legal_name": "Sylvia Mueni Kasanga",
        "slug": "sylvia-mueni-kasanga"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I had the privilege of being in a forum where the Chief Justice was a keynote speaker. I was very privileged when he requested me to address the forum and speak on the Bill. He said that any process that helps to reduce the backlog of the cases in the courts is most welcome. I know that he was speaking to this because there has been a bit of pushback from some of the other key stakeholders in the industry. What he was telling us, as key stakeholders in that forum, is: “Sit down and work together, because any process was most welcome.” The fact that there is already something in Parliament for him, he felt very happy because he said that it was moving even faster. He spoke on various things. He first spoke on the issue of lawyers being a stumbling block towards reaching the full potential of alternative dispute resolution. The biggest reason is that lawyers feel that their income levels will be affected by the fact people may not need them, or there shall be less litigation. It was interesting in that forum because a couple of lawyers came up to speak and said that lawyers need to be given the awareness that, that is not the case. Actually, it is on the reverse; there will still be work for them. It might not be the legal litigation and acrimonious judicial process, but through mediation and conciliation, Kenyans will still need representation. This is because many Kenyans would rather be represented in such forums. The lawyers need to understand these processes. They need to also formalize themselves with them. Therefore, they can continue earning money, but through the Alternative Dispute Resolution processes. Secondly, in that forum, we had the Cabinet Secretary (CS), Mr. Aden Mohammed, who alluded to the fact that a lot of the backlog in the Judiciary is costing Kenyans; we are losing a lot revenue. For example, in a dispute where money is being held, you cannot pay out until it is resolved. A lot of money is being held because the cases are not moving in courts. The CS was actually asking the Judiciary: “What can they do so that we move faster?” Should we have a special court just to listen to these disputes? This has already been tried before. They have special courts just for certain disputes, and there was a cry for tax. Apparently, a lot of tax is held because of the disputes that are pending. The question is: Is the tax collector ready to go into alternative dispute resolution to help unlock the billions that are being held because of disputes that are pending? It is amazing when you hear the statistics. I do not have them here; I wish I did. I did not know that I had 30 minutes. I would have presented the statistics. However, it is real that we need these processes to help unlock the money. Kenyans are feeling it right now; we are broke."
}