Judiciary speaks after man sets himself on fire outside Supreme Court

The Judiciary has released a statement hours after a man doused himself with petrol and set himself ablaze outside the Supreme Court building.

The man, who could only be identified as James Kipira through documents found at the scene, suffered severe burns in the incident.

“Today at about 9:30 am a man, whose identity has not been conclusively established, while walking along City Hall Way, stopped outside the Supreme Court building. He was carrying some documents and a bottle with a liquid,” said a statement from the Judiciary Spokesperson Paul Ndemo.

Ndemo said while standing on the street pavement, the man placed the documents on the ground, doused himself in the liquid believed to be petrol, and pulled out a lighter setting himself on fire.

Security officers stationed outside the Supreme Court Building’s gate responded immediately and rushed to rescue the man by putting out the fire although the man sustained some burns and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The Judiciary spokesperson noted that they expect that once the man is treated and out of danger, the police will interrogate him to reveal the cause of his shocking action.

Meanwhile, the Judiciary is taking a keen interest in the matter, Ndemo says, with a view to establishing if his drastic action could be linked to a court matter.

Later reports revealed the man had been frustrated over a long-winding legal matter involving the purchase of a car he wanted to use for a taxi business.

At the scene, James told police officers and medics that he had lost faith in the judicial system because of the lengthy court process, adding that he did not know any other way to express his frustrations.