Members of the Lawyer Society of Kenya(LSK), led by its President Faith Odhiambo, on Wednesday held talks with Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
Also present were the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service (KPS), Eliud Langa,t, the Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police Service (APS), Gilbert Masengeli and DCI boss Mohamed Amin.
The crisis meeting with the IG came at a time when LSK had raised alarm over increasing cases of harassment, threats, and intimidation of lawyers by police officers in the course of their professional duties.
In a statement on Wednesday, Odhiambo said the meeting aimed to address the growing tension between legal practitioners and law enforcement agencies.
Odhiambo said the Society presented a series of incidents where advocates had been unfairly targeted for representing clients, with some facing obstruction, verbal threats, and even physical aggression.
“We highlighted instances where advocates have been unfairly victimised by officers for representing their clients, including threats, obstruction, and, in extreme instances, acts of aggression,” she said.
The LSK called on the National Police Service to take immediate measures to protect lawyers from interference in their work, which is constitutionally protected, and to discipline officers who violate these rights.
“We sought the IG's intervention towards ensuring non-interference, enforcing disciplinary action against officers who undermine, interfere with, or violate the work and rights of advocates,” Odhiambo stated.
The Society also proposed closer collaboration with the police, offering to support ongoing training and sensitisation efforts on legal and ethical standards.
In particular, LSK pledged to provide technical expertise in areas such as the rights of arrested persons and the independence of the legal profession.
“We offered to support the service through enriching their training and sensitisation needs by providing expertise on legal standards that must be upheld,” the LSK President noted.
Additionally, the Society pushed for the revival of stalled community-oriented initiatives, including the establishment of gender desks in police stations to better handle cases involving women and vulnerable groups.
Odhiambo expressed optimism that the engagement would help secure the operating space for legal practitioners and prevent future infractions against them.
“We are
hopeful that this engagement will secure the legal practice space and prevent
infractions against our members in their service to the public,” she said.
The meeting comes amid growing concerns from the legal fraternity about increased hostility and interference from security agencies, particularly in high-profile and public-interest cases.
