Kenol Law Courts, Murang’a County have achieved an 88 percent case clearance rate, ranking among the best performing courts in the country in the delivery of justice.
Senior Resident Magistrate Dr. Sheila Nyagah said since the court was operationalized on November 12, 2022, it has handled a total of 12,788 cases, with 11,265 of them successfully finalized and closed.
“As of June 4, 2026, the court has handled a total of 12,788 cases, of which 11,265 have been finalized and files closed, while the pending caseload currently stands at 1,523,” she said during a Court Users Committee (CUC) meeting held at the Kenol Law Courts.
Dr. Nyagah reiterated that the court has embraced the Multi-Door Policy under the Alternative Justice System (AJS), as part of efforts to enhance dispute resolution and reduce case backlog.
The AJS model, introduced in April 2024, has so far seen 111 matters referred to the panel, with 70 cases successfully resolved, while 17 are still pending.
“21 cases have collapsed and were referred back to court for determination,” she said, adding, “As the AJS we received 99 criminal cases, 11 succession cases and 1 ELC case.
The court also introduced court-annexed mediation in November 2022 to facilitate faster resolution of disputes.
The SRM said 113 cases have been referred for mediation, out of which 60 reached full agreement and were successfully concluded.
“At the mediation registry, there are currently 13 pending matters, while 22 files have reached partial agreements as at June 412, 2026,” she said.
She added that 28 cases were returned to court, while five recorded non-compliance, bringing the mediation case clearance rate to 67 percent.
The court has also expanded access to justice through the establishment of a mobile court in Ithanga Sub-County, which was operationalized on September 1, 2025 and holds six sittings per quarter.
“In 2025, the Ithanga mobile court handled 29 sexual offence cases and 115 criminal cases. This year, the court has recorded three sexual offence cases and 9 criminal cases,” Nyagah said.
The Ithanga mobile court currently has 122 pending cases, with 35 already finalized, translating to a case clearance rate of 22.29 percent.
Nyagah also lauded members of the Alternative Justice System panel, 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 Ithanga and Murang’a South sub-counties and currently have three Resident Magistrates, in addition to the Magistrate in charge of the Mahakama Popote mobile court programme.
By Florence Kinyua
