Nairobi — Naivasha Law Courts was shut for 10 days effective Wednesday after the confirmation of a coronavirus case from a partner at the station said to have interacted widely with judiciary staff.
Acting Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, through a statement, said the decision was reached after the Head of Station held an emergency meeting with both the Leadership and Management Team (LMT) and Court User’s Committee (CUC) over the issue.
“Their recommendations as communicated to my office were that it would be prudent to control any potential further spread of the virus by temporarily closing Naivasha Law Courts with immediate effect,” the acting CJ said.
Mwilu said there was a high probability that there was general interaction with the affected person and therefore a high potential for exposure and the spread of the virus.
“Upon consultation with the Presiding Judge and the Head of Station at Naivasha Law Courts, we have arrived at the considered decision to temporarily close Naivasha Law Courts for a period of ten (10) days from tomorrow, Wednesday 31st March 2021,” she added.
During the period of closure, all urgent matters for Naivasha Law Courts shall be directed to Nakuru Law Courts, she said.
Naivasha Law Courts join Kericho Law Courts and Meru Law Courts which were temporarily shut after COVID-19 infections were reported in the stations.
The Judiciary also suspended in person court sittings in a five-county area zoned as a coronavirus hotspot, as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease.
In a decision announced on Monday, Mwilu directed that all registries, courts, and tribunals in the five counties of Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu and Nakuru shall be closed to public until otherwise notified.