Story by Fungai Jachi
THE Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is targeting to implement the Alternative Dispute Resolution System (ADR) by the third quarter of this year, as efforts to improve the justice delivery system gather pace.
Speaking soon after receiving professors from Pepperdine University in California, United States, who are in the country for knowledge transfer on the ADR system, Chief Justice Luke Malaba said the JSC is on a drive to reform the judiciary system.
“This is an efficient system which allows us to give space to litigants so that they find themselves outside court. This way we will avoid overcrowding the courts as well as get rid of witness fatigue. If all goes well, we should be able to implement this system by the third quarter,” he said.
The visiting expert from Pepperdine University Professor Daniel Delwart said the system works well in other jurisdictions.
“This is a great way of reducing backlogs and in the jurisdictions that we have worked with so far, and Africa, have benefitted a lot. We have seen the reduction in prison populations and case backlogs.”
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Malaba, Justice Tawanda Chitapi and Chief Registrar Anita Chuma who completed training on ADR were presented with certificates of completion.
