An elderly man who had a matter before the Environment and Land Court died on Tuesday morning, October 7, 2025, within the premises of Bungoma Law Courts.

The judiciary confirmed the death in a statement, saying the man appeared unwell when he arrived at the court at around 9 am. According to Judiciary spokesperson Paul Ndemo, the man was carried into the compound on a motorcycle and was visibly weak.

Because of his condition, a customer care officer handed him a Priority Card, a document that allows elderly, sick, or disabled persons, as well as expectant mothers, to receive expedited service at court stations.

Court officials established that his case was before the Environment and Land Court. The man said he would wait for his advocate to arrive and went to lie down on the grass outside the court as he waited with his brothers.

“When a court official went to give him further updates, he found him unresponsive,” Ndemo said.

Fresh safety concerns emerge

Police officers were immediately called to the scene and confirmed that the man had died. They processed the area before transferring the body to the Bungoma County Referral Hospital mortuary. The judiciary withheld his name to allow the next of kin to be informed.

In its statement, the Judiciary expressed its condolences to the deceased’s family.

“It is with sadness that the Judiciary reports the incident… The Judiciary extends its condolences to his family,” the statement signed by spokesperson Paul Ndemo read.

The incident adds to a recent string of unsettling events at the Bungoma Law Courts. Weeks earlier, on September 16, five people were injured when a firearm belonging to a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer accidentally discharged during a court session.

The victims, a DCI officer, a prison officer and three civilians, sustained minor injuries and were rushed to Bungoma Referral Hospital. The DCI later confirmed that the bullet ricocheted after an accidental discharge from the officer’s Ceska pistol.

At the time, the Judiciary reassured court users of their safety, saying no fatalities occurred. Investigations into that shooting are still ongoing.