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Lobby Group Sues JSC to Make Kenyan Courts Disability-Friendly
"The law protects persons living with disabilities, and in all institutions and in public transport, they are supposed to be considered," Omari stated.
A lobby group, Sheria Mtaani, has filed a petition before the High Court seeking orders declaring the Milimani Law Courts unfit for persons with disabilities.
In the petition filed under certificate of urgency, they seek a mandatory order requiring the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to expedite the installation of accessibility features—ramps, lifts, handrails, guiding rails, and accessible lavatories—for persons with disabilities at all stations nationwide.
The petition is based on the ground that persons living with disabilities have not been considered in the court premises, some of whom are Judicial officers, advocates, and litigants, who are not adequately catered for in respect of their access to justice, especially when matters are in open courts.
They say that there is a huge demand for amenities sufficient to serve their mobility within the court premises.
Led by its patron lawyer, Danstan Omari, Cliff Ombeta and Stanley Kinyanjui, they aver that persons living with disabilities at Milimani Law Courts face barriers to accessing justice, including inadequate facilities, lack of proper infrastructure, and insufficient support. They seek the court’s intervention to ensure these rights are fulfilled and progressively realized.
Speaking with journalists outside the Milimani Court, the lawyers are urging the court to compel the JSC and the featured interested parties to oversee the implementation of necessary amenities for the interest of persons living with disabilities in all open court stations within the Republic of Kenya.
“The law protects persons living with disabilities, and in all institutions and in public transport, they are supposed to be considered,” Omari stated.
The application supported by the affidavit of lawyer Shadrack Wambui states that for over eight years, he has observed the difficulty and challenges faced by persons living with disabilities, who are unable to get into the court premises for purposes of accessing justice.
Kinyanjui, on his part, stated that “Milimani Law Courts are not accessible to persons with disability, no washrooms and sinks for the disabled.”
Omari further stated that, after noticing the difficulties experienced by disabled court users, he wrote to JSC on December 18, 2025, for intervention, but no response has been made to date.
