The Judiciary stepped forward Thursday to clear up confusion about court orders dealing with police road barricades. Media reports had gotten the facts wrong about a High Court ruling in the Katiba Institute versus State Law Office case. The court never banned police from setting up roadblocks or barricades on public roads. Instead, the temporary orders force police to warn people ahead of time before they block roads. Judiciary Spokesperson Paul Ndemo explained that the orders simply require advance notice to the public.
The whole mess started when Katiba Institute filed a petition on June 25 challenging police for blocking roads without warning people first. The group complained about the hassle and problems caused to regular folks trying to get around. The court refused to issue immediate orders when the case was first filed. Instead, judges set a hearing date for July 9 to sort things out properly. The State Law Office received the court papers but never bothered to respond or show up in court.
When the State Law Office failed to participate, the court had no choice but to grant temporary orders favoring Katiba Institute. The decision came down because the government lawyers simply ignored the whole proceeding. The Judiciary stressed that the orders aim to help people plan their travel routes when police need to block roads for emergencies.
The whole mess started when Katiba Institute filed a petition on June 25 challenging police for blocking roads without warning people first. The group complained about the hassle and problems caused to regular folks trying to get around. The court refused to issue immediate orders when the case was first filed. Instead, judges set a hearing date for July 9 to sort things out properly. The State Law Office received the court papers but never bothered to respond or show up in court.
When the State Law Office failed to participate, the court had no choice but to grant temporary orders favoring Katiba Institute. The decision came down because the government lawyers simply ignored the whole proceeding. The Judiciary stressed that the orders aim to help people plan their travel routes when police need to block roads for emergencies.
