The dynamics from national politics and the need to break the Law Society of Kenya from a divisive past were the intrigues at play in the just concluded polls.
Observers and senior players in the legal profession who spoke to the Star said a majority of the lawyers were kin to break from the past of the outgoing council that was led by President Nelson Havi.
The Havi years have been characterised by the bitter fallout of the 13 member council who have staged ugly scenes of fighting and hurling insults at each other in public.
Havi believes the main bone of contention was the resistance of some forces against his push for an audit of the society’s finances.
Outgoing vice president Carolyne Kamende, Nairobi branch chairman Eric Theuri, lawyers Omwanza Ombati, Matthew Nyabena were running to replace Havi.
Eric Theuri trounced his closest challenger Kamende to bag the seat.
Tom Kopere, Mwaura Wakabata and Chysostom Xavier Wakaabi got elected as general members in the new council while Harriet Njoki Mboce and Amanya Cohen got elected as Nairobi representatives.
Byron Menezes, Vincent Munyaga Githaiga and Linda Kiome Gitonga got elected as upcountry representatives, Riziki Emukule as Coast representative and John Chigiti in the disciplinary committee.
Jacqueline Ingutiah beat Julie Soweto to be a female representative to the Judicial Service Commission.
Havi had endorsed Ombati and Kamende for the top job and Soweto against Ingutiah.
Reached for comment, Havi told the Star though, his candidate did not win, he will let Theuri run the show at the society and will not engineer chaos and sabotage.
“Unlike my predecessors, I will call myself the 49th president and use the society’s letterhead in my letters. I will not involve myself in the affairs but will remain a public figure vocal on matters of rule of law and public interest,” he said.
For now, Havi said, his focus is to capture the Westlands parliamentary seat.
Havi said he was particularly disappointed that Soweto did not win despite her track record and skills with the law.
But senior counsel Philip Murgor was elated by the results saying the vote redeemed the society from its alleged bad past.
“I’m glad LSK has been given another chance to play at the national stage in a non-partisan manner. Despite the numerous public interest litigation file (by the outgoing leadership) in recent years, the LSK is generally ignored by the national government and considered a player only on social media,” he said.
Murgor said he was happy the society had returned to non-partisan and neutral hands who will consider every issue dispassionately in a responsible manner.
“The new team has mature professional practitioners who command great respect from their colleagues,” he said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
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