• Branches chairs' causes boss Mathew Nyabena is complaining that the council's infighting is to blame for the failure to send the cash to the regional units
• Nyabena says the branches depend on the funds to pay the suppliers and run offices
The unceasing power struggle at the lawyers’ club LSK has spilled to the regional branches, as signatories in its council have allegedly refused to approve the release of monies to fund the local operations.
Branches depend on the Gitanga road-based national office to disburse the devolution and regional integration funds to enable local chairmen to run their offices, pay employees and service suppliers.
But for 2021, they are yet to receive the cash blaming the national Vice-Chair Carolyne Kemende Daudi for allegedly frustrating the process by declining to sign the cheques despite all other signatories appending their signatures.
Efforts to obtain comments from Kamende bore no fruits as she did not receive our calls.
The chairman of the branch chairs caucus Mathew Nyabena is complaining that the divided council is using them as a pawn in their power games while their operations suffer.
Society has been in unending turmoil since late 2020 when president Nelson Havi attempted to sack its CEO Mercy Wambua.
The LSK council of 13 members voted 8 to five to retain Wambua but Havi insisted that she was sacked, declaring her stranger at the society offices. Wambua got court relief to remain in office.
The divided council’s wars have often been blamed for many woes bedeviling the lobby, including failure to pay suppliers and employees at some point.
In a statement, Mathew Nyabena says the regional outfits often expect the annual grants in January of every year and the first tranche of devolution funds by March of every year.
Prior to the disbursement, Nyabena said, the branches are required to submit the estimates of their income and expenditure as well as the reports of the internal audit mechanism of the national offices.
They have met all these preconditions but “one of the signatories has failed to sign the cheques to enable the Branches to receive their funds,” he said.
“Being a signatory of the LSK Bank Account is a privilege delegated by the members of the society. The signatories are expected to discharge their mandate in the best interest of the society.”
“The continued failure to withhold signature and approval is a breach of delegated authority,” he added.
He said that despite multiple meetings and negotiations to have the impasse settled, the concerned officials have remained difficult, refusing to release the funds without reason.
“Despite several engagements with the LSK leadership, there has been no progress and we feel there is no genuine desire to resolve this issue on the part of the council,” he said.
The devolution and regional integration funds are collected by the national office from the monthly contribution of members of the society for onwards disbursement to the regional offices.
“...there is no reason why they should be withheld….the continued brinkmanship on the organs of LSK is sad and not in the best interest of members,” he added.
The caucus also complains that the national office has also failed to disburse the Advocate Benevolent funds, thereby affecting the welfare of members.