Effective the 16th of March 2020, new arrests made by the Kenyan police will not warrant a fair trial which under the constitution should be observed by the trial judge without being partial. This is in accordance to a new directive by the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ).
The directive was given after NCAJ met at the Supreme Court on Sunday, 15th March to deliberate on the implications of the announcement by the Ministry of Health that the first case of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in the country.
For the next two weeks, court activities will be suspended to further prevent the spread of the virus. During this time, no prisoners or remandees will be presented to the court.
ALl new arrests in exception of very serious cases will now be dealt with at police stations in accordance with guidelines that’ll be given by the Inspector general.
All execution orders have also been suspended.
Some of the activities not affected by the decisions include plea taking in serious cases and the handling of the certificate of urgency. However, the nature of cases on which accused persons will take plea has however not been revealed.
NCAJ has also banned trainings and foreign trips.
The government on Friday banned social and public gatherings temporarily. Visits to the prisons were also suspended for a month to avert the possible spread of the virus.
Find the full directive below
