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{
    "id": 971117,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/971117/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 207,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": "conjunction with the World Bank. Also, in Wote, which is the County Headquarters of Makueni, a new building to host the courts has just been completed. I visited Kitui a few days ago and there are also very big improvements. Those are the counties I have been to. I have been to Mombasa, Kisumu and many other places. There has been a very big improvement in the last 10 years or so when it comes to the court infrastructure. It has really improved access to justice and the treatment of prisoners, among other issues. There has been a lot more. When we talk about a billion shillings being used on people on death row and people who are generally under the custody of the courts, as much as you want to control that, if there are convictions in the courts and there have been appeals and final judgments issued, those have to be commuted into life sentences under the Constitution. Some of those are very dangerous criminals. Some who through one intervention or another find themselves free, the community attacks them when they get back. So, there is a lot more to be done so that whether those people have been reformed or not and they get out of jail, there is follow up. Such people can be brought back to the community and be useful to it. Therefore, there is very little which can be done on convicts other than counter-checking or coming up with a new law here or improve the law so that there is a way an assessment can be made on those who are serving life sentences. There is also alternative dispute resolution. It really helps reduce the number of cases and making it easy for some of the cases to be solved by the parties. This is mostly the case with civil cases, and even criminal cases. For the simple cases like assaults, where family members can come together and agree to withdraw those matters, the courts have provided procedures for withdrawal and alternative dispute resolution. It will be good if we employ more of that. The courts are encouraging it where magistrates or judges are in charge, to give opportunity to the parties and through their lawyers to do dispute resolution. Again, there are many cases of grabbing of the Judiciary’s land. The Member for Kajiado abandoned his National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) offices to be occupied by the courts because their land had been grabbed and people were suffering. He uses other offices while the courts use his offices. I believe a method of making sure that where land had been allocated to the Judiciary and has been grabbed like the case in Ngong, alternative land is found so that the Judiciary can develop its infrastructure and the courts so that the people are served easily. When you look at the geographical area of that region, people used to go to Kajiado. That Member has done very well to assist the courts in one way or another. There is the issue of policy and probably the amendment of the Constitution now that we are talking about amending it. We need to make sure some of the institutions which were left out in the last constitutional amendment in 2010, like the co-operative movement whereby they have a tribunal, are included. Some of the matters being handled at the tribunal level involving SACCOs touch on huge sums of money or matters of higher jurisdiction than just a tribunal. I believe this is the moment for the co-operative movement and other areas to be considered through recommendations to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), so as to make sure we have a better law which makes access to justice easier. Otherwise, I thank you Hon. Speaker and I beg to support."
}