Lamu Speed Boat To Enhance Access To Justice unveiled

LAMU, Kenya, Jul 5- The Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji on Monday unveiled a speed boat in Lamu, that will be used to enhance access to justice for local residents.

He said the speed boat will be used to facilitate mobility of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions officials and other criminal justice actors during mobile court sessions in the main Islands of Lamu.

“The significance of MV ADIL to Lamu residents and the criminal justice actors cannot be overstated. With the launch of this vessel, we are opening a new chapter in our shared commitment to expand and enhance access to justice,” he said.

During the launch, he was accompanied by the European Union Ambassador to Kenya Katrin Hagemann, a representative from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Tana River High Court Judge Reuben Nyakundi.

He said the move signalled the ODPP’s, “commitment to cooperate and collaborate across the criminal justice system to address the challenges of our times. And we’re also leveraging on the possibilities of our collective efforts to develop innovative strategies that ensure justice for all and foster lasting engagements and partnerships between the local community, development partners, and the criminal justice system actors.”

While receiving the boat from the UNODC, the Director of Public prosecutions said the challenges associated with access to justice by the people of Lamu became manifested when the ODPP and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system conducted a one week ‘All for Justice’ initiative and community dialogues in 2019 in the Island.

The dialogues are meant to provide a platform from criminal justice actors to actively engage with the citizens by “listening and learning from them, and understand the issues affecting different communities in the country.”

“They also provided a platform to review our prosecutorial system- to identify obstacles, inefficiencies and inequities and address any ineffective policies. Consequently, these conversations provided forums to sensitise and educate communities on the criminal justice system and offer a chance for us to not only come to a shared understanding of our collective challenges but also develop appropriate sustainable solutions to them and thus enhance access to justice.”

He pointed out that during the community dialogue and service week in Lamu, residents highlighted a myriad of challenges that prevent them from accessing justice.

They include lack of legal awareness, land related issues, payment of bond, drug related issues, police excesses and witness intimidation.

Also listed include Logistical costs for both law enforcement and witnesses to attend to court and remoteness of the locations from the courts, among other challenges.

“These challenges demonstrated the pain and frustration of the lack of access to justice within the communities and underscored the need for greater customised interventions within Lamu,” he said.

“The story of MV ADIL began at this point, with a promise to secure a boat to help the residents of Lamu and the criminal justice actors pursue greater access to justice and answer to our clarion call ‘Mashtaka yenye haki na usawa’.”

He said the acquisition of MV ADIL through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery was a game-changer in the ODPP’s quest to expand access to justice in Lamu.

DPP Haji said it will mitigate inaccessibility to the courts, thereby allowing the ODPP to enhance service delivery to the residents.

Haji further revealed that he will champion for the establishment of a permanent court as opposed to a mobile court.

Lamu is the oldest Swahili settlement in East and Central Africa dating back to the 14th century.

It is an archipelago comprising of 65 islands with the most notable of these islands being Amu, Faza, Manda, Pate and Kiwayuu.

Access to these islands is by sea. This very fact presents a challenge when one speaks of access to justice, he said.