03/08/2026
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Bomet County Government has become the first county government in Kenya to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation with the National Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Alternative Justice System (AJS), an agreement seeking to support the operationalization of AJS in the county.
The county became the 16th in the country to launch AJS, joining a growing list of counties embracing community, customary, traditional and religious mechanisms to resolve disputes outside the conventional court process.
Speaking while launching the initiative, Chief Justice Hon. Martha Koome lauded the AJS, saying it would help reduce the backlog of cases โ especially land matters โ noting that many such disputes could be resolved at the community level rather than clogging court dockets.
Bomet Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok welcomed the milestone, describing it as an implementation of Article 159 of the Constitution. He said the county government was already empowering village managers and councils of elders at the grassroots level and had committed to training mediators and funding AJS centres.
At the same time, the Chief Justice also officially opened the Bomet Environment and Land Court (ELC), a specialised court that handles disputes relating to land ownership, boundaries, environmental conservation, and natural resource management, offering residents a dedicated forum for such cases separate from the ordinary courts. The ELC is situated in what was formerly the County Assembly Hall.
Speaking during the function, the County Assembly Speaker, Hon. Cosmas Korir, also lauded the AJS initiative, saying it would help solve local disputes while ensuring unity within communities. He underscored the Assembly's commitment to offer more working spaces for the Judiciary to ensure prompt delivery of justice.
Also in attendance at the launch was the JSC Vice Chairman H.E Isaac Ruto, President of the Court Appeal Hon. Justice Gatembu Kairu, Chairman National Steering Committee on the Implementation of AJS Hon. Justice Prof. Joel Ngugi, JSC Commissioners: Hon Justice Fatuma Sichale, Hon. Jacqueline Ingutah, Hon. Caroline Nzilani and Hon. Charity Kisotu, Registrar of the Judiciary Hon. Winfridah Mokaya, Presiding Judge Environment and Land Court Hon. Oscar Angote, Presiding Judge Employment and Labour Relations Court Hon. Monica Mbaru, Judicial officers of Bomet and Sotik Law Courts, Bomet Deputy Governor H.E Shadrack Rotich, honourable members of the county assembly and members of the county executive
