The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has condemned the continued abduction and victimisation of advocates, terming the worrying situation as ‘persecution’.
According to the Society, lawyers pursuing matters of public interest were the greatest targets in a pattern that reeks of political repression designed to deter them from seeking truth and justice.
“We strongly condemn all acts of reprisal and victimisation against Advocates of the High Court of Kenya for the faithful discharge of their duties. The disappearance of advocates, which has historically ended in their being found dead, should be treated as a matter of grave national concern,” said LSK President Faith Odhiambo in a statement on Saturday, August 30.
Ms. Odhiambo cited the disappearance of Advocate Njau Kiyai four years ago, with no progress made in an attempt to trace him.
The 2016 abduction and killing of human rights lawyer Willy Kimani, his client, and their taxi driver is among the rare cases of successful prosecutions of similar cases.
Police officers were convicted in 2023 for their involvement in the murders.
LSK said it has begun the process of documenting all cases of forced disappearances, abductions, kidnappings and torture of advocates, especially those that have been forgotten despite official reports being made.
The resulting database will be presented to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for a thorough probe.
“The Law Society of Kenya is in the process of collating a database of all unresolved cases of persecution of Advocates, in particular through abductions and kidnappings, to trace the extent of this tragic trend,” said Odhiambo.
“We will be submitting that information to the investigative agencies led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and demand that all pending and unreported matters be investigated expeditiously, those that have been rendered cold reactivated, and those that are awaiting prosecution be dealt with decisively and conclusively,” she added.
She further urged families of victims and other parties to support the initiative by offering information that will advance the investigations.
The move by LSK coincided with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
