A total of 91 magistrates have been appointed to the Environment and Land Court
Chief Justice Martha Koome says the new magistrates will preside over cases involving disputes relating to environment and land.
The appointments took effect on August 1
According to the Judiciary, the new appointments will help in reducing the backlog of land and property disputes that have continued to pile in courts over a long time
The Environment and Land Court, is a special High Court division established in 2011 to handle land and property related matters.
The magistrates of the specialised courts have powers to address claims involving occupation and title to land, provided that the value of the subject matter does not exceed a value of Sh20 million.
The magistrates will also handle disputes on environmental planning and protection, climate issues, as well as land use planning and boundaries.
They will also handle other disputes related to valuation, natural resources, compulsory acquisition, land administration and management.
In 2015, the Environment and Land Court Act was amended to allow the Chief Justice, by notice in the Kenya Gazette, to appoint certain magistrates to preside over cases involving environment and land matters of any part of the country.
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