The Judiciary plans to destroy old court records from three magistrates’ courts in Thika, Eldama Ravine and Kerugoya, giving interested parties three months to inspect the files and reclaim any exhibits they own.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In three notices published in the Kenya Gazette on October 9, the courts announced plans to seek the Chief Justice’s permission to destroy the records.

Under the notices, the applications will be made three months after publication, giving affected parties time to inspect the records and claim any exhibits before they are destroyed.

At the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Thika, the records earmarked for disposal include civil cases dating from 2000 to 2005.

📌 What You Need to Know

Also listed for destruction at the Thika court are criminal miscellaneous, traffic and county bylaw cases, covering the period between 2019 and 2022.

At the Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court in Eldama Ravine, the records include criminal, traffic, miscellaneous criminal, and inquest files dating from 2011 to 2023.

The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kerugoya has the oldest records on the list, with civil case files dating from 1968 to 2000 earmarked for destruction.

The exercise is governed by Cap. 14 of the Records Disposal (Courts) Rules, which set out procedures for the destruction of court records .

The notices advise anyone seeking to establish whether a particular case is affected to inspect the full list of records marked for disposal at the relevant court registry.

Anyone seeking the return of an exhibit must also claim it before the notice expires. Under the rules, unclaimed exhibits will be treated as part of the records and destroyed.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke