You can now file court cases at Huduma Centres
Huduma Centre, GPO branch in Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- Huduma Centre said it was expanding its services to include judicial services to make court-related services easily accessible.
- Apart from the filing of a new civil case, which has been introduced at the Huduma Centre, all other services are provided free of charge.
You can now file a court case at your nearest Huduma Centre. And from next week, you will be able to file documents for an ongoing case without having to visit a court registry.
The Huduma Centre has announced the new services as part of a partnership with the judiciary to decentralise services.
In a public notice on Wednesday, it said it was expanding its services to include judicial services to make court-related services easily accessible.
“Starting January 29, 2024, Kenyans can now access nine essential judicial services conveniently from various Huduma Centres across the country. Your access to justice just got more accessible!” it said in a post on X.
For a start, the eight services will be available at six Huduma Centres in different regions: GPO Nairobi, City Square, Makadara, Kibra, Eastleigh and Thika.
Services include filing a new civil case, filing documents for an existing case, and requesting and issuing summons.
Others are requesting and issuing mention dates, general case enquiries, e-filing support, payment of fines and deposits, and virtual court support.
In September 2021, Chief Justice Martha Koome undertook a review of court fees. In addition to revoking the fee schedule issued by her predecessor David Maraga, Justice Koome revised the fees charged for various services provided by the judiciary.
She also introduced new fees for the production of documents that were not listed in Judge Maraga's schedule.
In the new schedule, which came into effect on September 1, 2021, the filing of any type of application in the High Court, except for criminal matters, now costs Sh1,500, up from Sh750.
For civil cases filed in the High Court, the CJ introduced a minimum fee of Sh2,000 for an unliquidated claim, originating summons or counterclaim.
Apart from the filing of a new civil case, which has been introduced at the Huduma Centre, all other services are provided free of charge.
In September 2023, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria announced that the government would soon introduce a fee for services provided at Huduma centres across the country.
Kuria said the fee would be levied on both government and private sector services. However, he did not reveal how much the fee would be.
“My first area in that endeavour is to ensure Huduma Centres do not depend on money from the Exchequer, but that we generate our revenue. You have been enjoying this service for so long without paying for it. Now there will be no more free lunches. You have to pay for it,” he said at the time.
“We will introduce a fee for government services to support our e-commerce because the Huduma Centre will be the backbone for e-commerce.”
The centres handle about 60,000 transactions daily.
The 'one-stop-shop' was launched in 2013 by former president Uhuru Kenyatta alongside his then deputy William Ruto at the Teleposta building in Nairobi, allowing citizens to access and pay for government services electronically in a bid to reduce corruption and bureaucracy.
At the launch, Kenyatta said government inefficiency had bred corruption, wasted time and "cost billions".
“For a long time Kenyans have been subjected to moving from place to place in search of services from the government,” he said at the launch of the pilot centre.
“Kenyans and visitors became accustomed to being frustrated numerous times in their quest for public service: 'Come tomorrow'; 'Go to this or that other office first'; 'Bring a copy of your identity card'; and so on.
“Endless, static queues have been the order of the day, wasting countless hours. Public service became the epitome of inefficiency. This inefficiency bred corruption, initiating a cycle of vice which has tormented many and cost the country billions.”
That is why Huduma Kenya brings together many related public services in one place, possibly on the same floor, for easy access by Kenyans.
