The Judiciary is set to launch the Court Annexed Mediation process, which will be offering alternative ways of resolving disputes, on Thursday at the Iten law courts.

The process is expected to help resolve a backlog of cases that have been piling up in the courts.

According to Rosemary Onkoba, Senior Resident Magistrate, Eldoret Law Courts, the process typically takes a maximum of 60 days and reduces costs for the parties involved.

“Mediators involved in the process are qualified and neutral, and they will help feuding parties come to an agreement. The cases tackled include family, children, inheritance, employment, land, civil, and commercial cases, as well as selected criminal cases approved by a magistrate,” said Onkoba.

The court administrator at the Iten Law Court Peter Atiti urged everyone with cases or issues to forward their cases for assistance, pointing out that the Court Annexed Mediation process is a faster way to deal with issues as it does not drag, thereby taking less time to come up with solutions.

The mediator who will help conflicting parties will be paid for by the courts, and the parties involved will not have any out-of-pocket costs, explained Atiti.

The process takes a maximum of 60 days, after which an agreement will be submitted to the courts and the report will be adopted by the court and put down as an order that can be used by the involved individuals.

Peter Odindo, Registrar of the Nairobi High Court, noted that court-annexed mediation started in Nairobi and is now available in 42 law courts in Kenya. He said that the process is very welcome and has been positively received in the country, adding that it is an effective way of dealing with the backlog of court cases.

Overall, the new Court Annexed Mediation process is expected to make the resolution of cases faster, less costly, and less stressful for all involved.