The election of new officials for the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has kicked off countrywide, amid questions on nominations and the blocking of some aspirants.
Sixty-four candidates are contesting various positions in the lobby group that has in the past two years been hit by leadership and factional wrangles.
However, the LSK elections board (2022) is on the spot over how it handled the nominations of non-practicing lawyers working for State agencies.
The board blocked a prosecution counsel attached to the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) from vying for the position of upcountry representative on the LSK Council.
The board also cleared three non-practising lawyers working with government agencies to contest the position of LSK female representative on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The three are Jacqueline Ingutiah, Anna Konuche and Christine Kipsang.
He had written to the LSK seeking clarification on the status of members working for the ODPP and the Attorney-General, he being one of them, as he wanted to vie for the position of upcountry representative on the LSK Council.
But the LSK branch chairs caucus, which has been running the affairs of the LSK, told him that he had raised a weighty legal issue that required the convening of a general meeting. The LSK undertook to place the matter before the next annual general meeting.
Though aggrieved by the decision, he failed to invoke the internal dispute resolution mechanism under the regulations and rushed to court, where his petition to compel the board to clear his nomination was dismissed on a technicality.
The elections, presided by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), are for various elective positions on the LSK Council (2022-2024), LSK female representative on the JSC and the advocates’ disciplinary committee.
On the council, among the positions being contested is that of president after Mr Nelson Havi’s two-year term expired.
Five candidates are aspiring to replace him. They include his former vice-president Carolyne Kamende, who is based in Nairobi, Bernhard Ng’etich (Nakuru), Mathew Nyabena (Mombasa), Omwanza Ombati (Nairobi) and Eric Theuri (Nairobi).
Those vying for the position of vice-president include Ajwang Debra, Boniface Akusala, David Nyamweya and Faith Odhiambo.
The election involves 12,544 LSK members with eligible practising certificates. They will vote at their designated principal place of practice.
There are 28 polling centres at selected High Court stations across the country. The voting ends at 5pm.
