Senior advocates and prosecutors have faulted some Magistrates who head various courts across the country for preventing other magistrates from taking pleas.
Speaking to the press in Nakuru, some lawyers called the decision of gagging other magistrates as unfair and urged the Chief Justice to intervene.
” For instance, in Kibera court and Makadara courts you will see only two or three courts taking pleas daily someone wonders why some head of stations seclude other magistrates who are competent and qualified for the said job,” said lawyer Emmanuel Simiyu.
He called on Chief Magistrate Martha Koome to intervene and stop the said mess.
” In Kahawa Courts, Milimani courts and even some courts in Central part of Kenya, plea is on a rotational basis, we want the CJ to act so that the same happens in Kibera and Makadara Courts,” he said
A senior Prosecutor urged Station bosses to avoid looking down upon other magistrates and accord them the opportunity to work.
” They all went through the same Law school, they even have the same qualifications, i think this act of allocating petty cases to specific magistrates and denying them the eight to take pleas needs to be stopped,” he said
He said that there were specific cases in Kibera Court and Makadara Court with only petty cases and have never taken pleas
