Candidates eyeing the presidential seat in the forthcoming Law Society of Kenya (LSK) elections have pledged to rein in masqueraders who continue to tarnish the reputation of the esteemed profession.
Speaking during a debate hosted by K24 TV on Thursday, February 8, the candidates emphasized the need to adopt a collaborative approach to tame quacks who have infiltrated the justice system.
Harriet Njoki said there is a need to empower LSK branches so that they can help the society address the elephant in the room and also promote the independence of the bar.
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"The first thing to make sure that we don't end up having infiltrators into the practice of law is by making sure members elect someone who is not captured by the state.
"The second thing is that we must empower devolution. When you empower the chapters and branches in a manner that they know who members in the area are, then it becomes easy for them to identify each other, and they can very easily tell who is not one of them," Njoki said.
City lawyer Peter Wanyama promised to improve LSK systems if elected the 51st president, to ensure there is no room for manipulation and impersonation of its members.
"It is a total shame to have a masquerader in the Law Society in Kenya. We need to do more to ensure that this matter is addressed because it kills the confidence that the public has in lawyers. As President of LSK, I will do what it takes to renew confidence in the system," he said.
"We must do what it takes, and this calls for a collective initiative with the entire bar, because when the profile of the bar is damaged, it's all of us who suffer reputation. We need to leverage technology and improve our LSK systems. We must do massive system improvement to ensure that it's foolproof and does not give any room for a quack to venture into our sector anymore."
Outgoing LSK Vice Chancellor Faith Odhiambo defended the society, saying the issue of quacks infiltrating the society was not unique to the legal profession. She said LSK had managed to address security concerns raised by the members.
"We have been able to review our systems and ensure that individual members are the ones who can change their details. This removes the level of secretariat involvement, making you responsible as an individual advocate. Once you have access to the portal, it's up to you if you allow your credentials to be accessed by someone else we hold you personally responsible," Odhiambo stated.
She, however, proposed working with the Judiciary to introduce identification documents with QR codes for an extra security layer.
Additionally, Odhiambo noted that the council had heightened a crackdown across the country to deal with masqueraders in the legal profession.
Last year, Brian Mwenda made headlines after LSK accused him of infiltrating its systems and stealing a member's identity.
In a statement, LSK President Eric Theuri accused Mwenda of stealing the identity of Brian Mwenda Ntwiga through a fraud scheme known as Business Email Compromise (BEC).
Mwenda was arrested and charged in court with faking to be an advocate. The case is pending in court.
LSK elections are scheduled for February 29. A total of five candidates have expressed interest in succeeding Theuri who has been at the helm of LSK for two years.
