NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 18 – Chief Justice Martha Koome on Saturday urged the use of court annexed mediation in settling succession disputes, even as she said courts will protect gender equity.
CJ Koome noted that 6,000 cases had been resolved through court annexed mediation releasing Sh16 billion back into the economy.
Koome was speaking at a legal seminar on succession and inheritance organized by the Faith Evangelistic Ministry in Nairobi also attended by Second Lady Rachael Ruto, Justice Luka Kimaru, Lady Justice Dorah Chepkwony, and Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi.
She also encouraged the resolution of disputes at the family level instead of taking matters to court, saying solutions to family disputes exist within the family.
“It does not require a judge to tell you that the property of a deceased person should be distributed equally among the beneficiaries.” she said.
Koome further urged the public to familiarize themselves with the requirements needed before dealing with estates of deceased persons, such as a letter of administration.
Court Annexed Mediation (CAM) was launched in 2016 as part of Judiciary’s broad plan to reduce backlog of cases through alternative justice systems.
CAM is also seen as crucial in unlocking resources to the economy totaling billions of shillings held up in adversarial litigation.