Judicial officers, particularly Judges, play a significant role in determining matters from the extractives sector. This calls for an in-depth knowledge of the sector by the judges as well as other judicial officers especially legal researchers.
Considering this need, EB and SEIC, in partnership with the Judiciary Training Institute (JTI) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), implemented a two-part training workshop for High Court Judges and legal researchers from the following High Court divisions: Judicial Review Division; Environment and Land Court (ELC); and the Family Division.
The 5-day workshop was part of a three-part project on ‘Advancing Capacity and Access to Justice in Kenya’s Extractive Sector,’ funded by the Ford Foundation.
The main objective of the workshop was to build the capacity of judges and their researchers to deepen their knowledge on extractives (oil, gas and mining) and related grievances. The workshop also sought to explore the interface between ADR and judicial mechanisms currently in use towards establishing the value and effectiveness of the ADR mechanisms.
Feedback from this training, together with the Listening Project findings and in-depth literature review, informed the development of the Judiciary Guide on ‘Handling Extractives Related Grievances in Kenya,” launched on 26th April 2019, as well as a Factsheet for mining communities.