By Reporter
A cohort of 50 certified mediators is set to begin resolving long-standing community conflicts in Lamu, following a comprehensive five-day training program aimed at enhancing access to justice in the remote and marginalized areas within the coastal county.
The training, conducted by the Mediation Training Institute of East Africa , in collaboration with the Muslim Women Advancement of Rights and Protection (MWARP) organization, equipped members of the Court Users Committee (CUC) and local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with professional mediation skills.
According to members of the Lamu Court Users Association, the initiative serves as a direct response to the significant judicial challenges Lamu residents face in accessing formal courts, a problem exacerbated by the county’s vast geography and its location to the Kenya-Somalia border.
“Lamu being a border county, which is also marginalized, has always faced challenges with the location of courts which are far away from many places and it’s very costly to travel,” Rahma Gulem Abbas , Executive Director for MWARP stated adding that it is also a hard and tedious affair arranging mobile courts sessions especially in Lamu East.
She further highlighted the severe consequences of this justice gap, noting that many cases, especially in Lamu East have remained unsolved for long, leading to killings of people and longtime grudges that make people live in fear and hatred.
Rahma observed that with the trained mediators, legal and judicial stakeholders intend to solve such conflicts and reduce cases of injustices.
The newly trained mediators, who are now awaiting final accreditation from the judiciary, represent a cross-section of the community, including civilians,, community leaders,chiefs, teachers, county government personnel, and police officers.
Further speaking at the closing ceremony, Hon. Peter Wasike, the Lamu Court’s Principal Resident magistrate and CUC chairperson, praised the initiative noting the diverse turnout.
“This is a professional mediator’s training has been conducted in an excellent manner and it is my belief that those trained in mediating cases will carry out their duties when called upon fairly,” the Principal Resident Magistrate said.
He further emphasized that even as a magistrate, he has learnt a lot from the five day course underscoring the program’s value.
The training, led by Mediation expert Mr. James Mangerere, is a key part of the Lamu Court Mediation Program which was launched on September 26th.
The program leverages Article 159 of the Kenyan Constitution, which promotes Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to decongest courts and deliver faster, cost-effective justice.
Principal resident Magistrate Wasike also pointed out that the new mediators will serve critical areas beyond the reach of current judicial services.
“Some are coming as far as Kiunga, which is on the border with Somalia, areas that are not even mobile court’s reach,” he said.
“The cohort of graduate mediators will now be under review by the judiciary’s Mediation Accreditation Committee, who will give them approval under which they will be formally accredited to handle court-referred cases, bringing the promise of timely resolution of conflicts among differing communities or parties,” MWARP Program Officer UmulKheir Ahmed stated.
