Blog Post

The Chief Justice Hon David Maraga,
Presiding Judge, Hon Kanyi Kimondo
Senior Magistrate Hon. Dolphina Alego,
County Commissioner,
All the elected leaders present,
Court Users Committee (CUC),
All protocols observed,
Good afternoon!
It gives me great pleasure to join you during this auspicious occasion. The establishment of High Court in Nandi County is a milestone for the residents of this County who yearn for expanded access to justice. Since 1970 when Kapsabet Law Courts was established by the then Chief Justice His Lordship M.K Mwendwa no other court has been established since then. Consequently, this has impeded access to justice to our residents and a backlog of cases has considerably increased.
As the first governor of this County it has been my dream to see that justice delivery is brought closer to my people and access to higher judicial jurisdiction is established. It is on this premise that my government has donated parcels of land for the establishment of the High Court in Kapsabet and other courts in Kabiyet, Songhor and Kaptumo.
We have done our part and I would want to urge the Judiciary to secure these parcels and fence them. We have allocated these lands for public through the due processes of law and we therefore request the Judiciary to set aside adequate financial resources for infrastructural development and the deployment of more officers to these courts.
Our Judiciary has undergone a significant transformation and I applaud the Chief Justice Hon David Maraga for his visionary and transformative agenda. I have gone through your document on Sustaining Judiciary Transformation (SJT) – A service delivery Agenda 2017 -2021, where you intend to establish at least a High Court in all the 47 counties so as to expedite the delivery of justice. Nandi County was listed among the nine Counties that had no High court and I am glad today we are joining the rest of other 38 Counties with our own High Court.
At this juncture I would like to recognize Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Dolphina Alego and her team who have tirelessly and diligently worked round the clock to ensure that this dream becomes a reality. We appreciate your efforts and passion to serve and support the Nandi residents, continue with the same spirit. I also extend my gratitude to the World Bank who are funding this project.
Furthermore, I commend the cordial relationship that exists between my government and the Judiciary here in Kapsabet. It is through this collaboration that we have experienced meaningful progress in our County.
Illegal manufacture and consumption of liquor remains a big challenge in our County. We continue to lose immense resources and many lives from alcohol related cases. Reports reveal that in Kapsabet Law courts at least over Ksh. 2million of fines are collected on monthly basis translating to a total Ksh. 24million of fines yearly. It is my hope that with the establishment of the High court in Kapsabet and the corporation of other stakeholders including the corrective services we will find a better solution to this problem.
As I conclude ladies and gentlemen, our constitution is anchored on the premises that the rule of law must be adhered to at all the times, I therefore I urge everybody especially during this electioneering period to observe and respect the rule of the law irrespective of your status.
May God Bless you,
May God Bless Nandi,
Thank you.
HE DR. CLEOPHAS LAGAT
GOVERNOR NANDI COUNTY.