By Henry Owino
Siaya County, Kenya: Millions of shillings in the form of cash bail, title deeds and log books deposited as surety and yet to be collected from Bondo law courts years after the conclusion of cases, could be handed over to Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA) this month of July.
Senior Principal Magistrate (SPM) John Nandi of Bondo law court said some unclaimed documents and money have been lying in the court since 1995. His valuable documents have overstayed and it is time to dispose of them.
Nandi disclosed that it has been difficult for the court to reach the owners of the unclaimed assets and could be forced to hand over the assets to UFAA by the end of the financial year. He made the remarks during the Bondo law court Open Day event held at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST).
The Senior Principle Magistrate urged individuals or relatives of individuals who had concluded cases to turn up and claim their assets saying they would be assisted even if they lost receipts.
“I know the challenge has been lack of information by members of the public and that is why today we are having an Open Day to educate the masses about what is happening in the courts. Some may have lost receipts or some may have died but if any of their relatives show up, they would be assisted to claim whatever was deposited,” Nandi explained.
The SPM further disclosed that Bondo law courts have adopted the use of technology to improve service delivery in courts. He said the technology also helps court to communicate to their clients which would prevent future incidences of unclaimed assets lying in courts for years after cases are concluded.
He said that through the use of technology, the accused does not have to be physically present in court to answer charges unless when required. The online platform allows the accused to submit documents without having to travel to the court in Bondo.
The Magistrate on the other hand disclosed that the adoption of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism has helped reduce the backlog of cases in Bondo courts and improved efficiency. He was happy to report that up to 30% of patients in Bondo courts have been resolved through ADR over the last two years.
Area Assistant Deputy County Commissioner Michael Too asked members of the public to embrace the judicial system and shun the habit of withdrawing cases in court before they are concluded.
Mr. Too said most Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases failed because the victims do not want to proceed with the matter and sometimes do not turn up in court to give evidence. He regretted that the trend has been an issue encouraging perpetrators to commit crimes.
The administrator challenged the court and the lawyers offering legal services in Bondo town to take their services to the people in the villages. This is important for educating their clients during chief barazas about the services offered instead of only focusing on the town centers.
A few members of the public who attended the open day admitted that there are a lot of improvements in Bondo law court. This has continued to attract more clients as judicial processes are transparent, fewer delays of cases, minimal corruption if any, and justice has been prevailing.</span
