The revolutionary Small Claims Court that fast tracks civil cases and concludes them in a record period of six months or less, which was opened at the Nakuru law courts in the month of May, has assisted the business community and locals to recover Sh35 million.
The administrator for the small claims court John Lokwang said if the cases had followed the laid down legal procedures of civil courts, it would have taken much longer to recover the compensation of the Sh35 million, hence hindering business, and slowing down the economy.
Lokwang said since the court was opened last May 16, it has recorded 459 cases, which are mainly commercial and miscellaneous claims. The cases involve persons who might have borrowed money from a family member, colleague or business associate, but adamantly refused to pay, while dodging them with numerous excuses and promises.
He said three to five cases were recorded on a daily basis, but noted that a number of wananchi were not yet aware of the small claims court.
He appealed to the media to promote the court which assists claimants to recover their money in a record six months or less.
“The reported cases have a timeline of 60 days to be heard and resolved. We normally deal with petty cases like the supply of goods, personal injury, money held by someone and contract related to business,” he said.
However, the small claims court is mandated to only deal with cases whose claims cannot exceed Sh1 million and it costs a claimant between Sh200 to Sh1000 to file a case.
Also, he added that the claimant could choose to represent themselves or hire a lawyer. However, a number of litigants prefer self-representation, because the court is friendlier and encourages such representation for faster dispensation of cases, unlike other courts where several injunctions could be granted, hence delaying the conclusion of cases.