Kenol: Kenol Law Courts, located in Murang’a County, have achieved an impressive 88 percent case clearance rate, marking them as one of the best performing courts in the country regarding the delivery of justice.
According to Kenya News Agency, Senior Resident Magistrate Dr. Sheila Nyagah disclosed that since the court’s operationalization on November 12, 2022, it has managed a total of 12,788 cases. Out of these, 11,265 cases have been successfully finalized and closed. During a Court Users Committee (CUC) meeting at the Kenol Law Courts, Dr. Nyagah revealed that the pending caseload currently stands at 1,523.
Dr. Nyagah emphasized the court’s adoption of the Multi-Door Policy under the Alternative Justice System (AJS) as a strategic effort to enhance dispute resolution and reduce case backlog. The AJS model, introduced in April 2024, has so far referred 111 matters to the panel, with 70 cases successfully resolved, while 17 remain pending. She noted that 21 cases collapsed and were referred back to court for determination. The AJS has received various types of cases, including 99 criminal cases, 11 succession cases, and 1 Environment and Land Court (ELC) case.
In addition, the court introduced court-annexed mediation in November 2022 to facilitate faster dispute resolution. Dr. Nyagah reported that 113 cases were referred for mediation, with 60 reaching full agreement and successfully concluded. She mentioned that the mediation registry currently has 13 pending matters, while 22 files have reached partial agreements as of June 4, 2026. Furthermore, 28 cases were returned to court, and five recorded non-compliance, resulting in a mediation case clearance rate of 67 percent.
To improve access to justice, the court established a mobile court in Ithanga Sub-County, operational since September 1, 2025, with six sittings per quarter. In 2025, the Ithanga mobile court dealt with 29 sexual offence cases and 115 criminal cases. This year, the court has recorded three sexual offence cases and nine criminal cases. The Ithanga mobile court currently has 122 pending cases, with 35 already finalized, translating to a case clearance rate of 22.29 percent.
Dr. Nyagah commended the contributions of Alternative Justice System panel members, including elders, chiefs, sub-chiefs, the Deputy County Commissioner’s offices in Murang’a South and Ithanga, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and lawyers, for their role in facilitating dispute resolution outside the formal court system. Kenol Law Courts serve the Ithanga and Murang’a South sub-counties and are staffed by three Resident Magistrates, in addition to the Magistrate overseeing the Mahakama Popote mobile court program.
