Probe state of mental health in Judiciary
There is a need for the Judiciary to closely look at its delivery records and ascertain whether some of its staff, especially judges and magistrates, are free from mental maladies.
The story about suicide cases among police officers clearly indicates the need for mainstreaming of mental health wellness issues in all sectors of the civil service and the private firms.
In fact, there is a need for the Judiciary to closely look at its delivery records and ascertain whether some of its staff, especially judges and magistrates, are free from mental maladies.
While there have been discussions about mental health across sectors and even among children, given increasing suicide cases by minors and youth, the public sector can’t be ignored.
The mental health issue should be a key topic in the Judiciary, given that some people with cases across many courts undergo stressful moments due to delays in finalisation of cases, loss of court file documents and sometimes very cruel adjournments.
Most Kenyans are forced in court so many times and over years yet they have no way to complain. Some magistrates clearly lack knowledge on some of the cases they handle and hasten to adjourn cases on very flimsy grounds.
The pace at which some of the judicial officers adjourn cases clearly indicates that, perhaps, there are or could be underlying mental ill-health issues, which could go unresolved. There is an urgent need to study the mental wellbeing of officers in the Judiciary as they could actually be driving many Kenyans to depression and mental sickness.
Innocent Kenyans are being tortured in the courts merely because of some judicial officers, whose output could be easily checked through the cases they finalise or adjournments they undertake, sometimes driving many to frustration.
Mental health should no longer be taken as a problem of teachers, police officers, children and others but must encompass all—including those in the justice system.
Do judicial officers who frustrate Kenyans with adjournments ever realise that they are driving their compatriots crazy and that they also could be in need of intervention?
Bob Irikiria, Embu
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Politicians have been rigorously campaigning seeking votes but I’ve hardly seen them mention mental health in their manifestos.
Mental health is a big issue that is being ignored yet its impact could cause irreparable damage. For the remaining one month to the General Election, let the candidates carry out a serious sensitisation campaign on how they are going to tackle mental ill-health in the country.
Abiud Precious Makokha, Kitui
