Zulfa Roble is a practising advocate in Garissa and a member of the national LSK council.Three people were arrested in Garissa town yesterday in a crackdown mounted by the Law Society of Kenya targeting fake and unlicensed lawyers.
Two others evaded the arrests, while four offices were closed down.
Speaking t the Garissa police station, LSK council member Steve Mbugua said they were reacting to numerous complaints.
“Our sole purpose today was to weed out and arrest those persons who have been masquerading as advocates,” he said.
“Every law firm, every office of an advocate, must be manned by a licensed advocate and registered for the particular office.”
Mbugua, who is also the chairperson for the LSK’s Practice Standards Committee, said they had recovered critical documents
“This is unfortunate. Some of them involve conveyancing worth millions of shillings, yet the persons who have been arrested are not qualified and did not even understand what they were doing,” he said.
“And the members of the public thought the person offering them the services in an advocate.”
He urged residents to take advantage of the LSK’s search engine to confirm the names of the lawyers they would wish to contract.
Mbugua also warned licensed advocates against opening offices and employing unqualified persons.
Action will be taken against them for misconduct and breaches of regulations, he said.
Zulfa Roble, a practising advocate in Garissa and a member of the national LSK council, said many citizens have lost their cases in court and incurred losses through fake lawyers.
“We have had problems here for people who are not advocates opening offices and defrauding innocent citizens that they are lawyers,” she said.
“We have been following up these cases but we are glad that today, we have arrested some of them, who will be arraigned in court tomorrow.
Edwin Nyipolo, another practising advocate in Garissa and the chapter contact person, thanked LSK for carrying out the crackdown.
“This crackdown is not for the lawyers,” he said.
“It is for the members of the public because these people who are feigning to be advocates are really messing up people’s cases in court. People are losing cases, property and money courtesy of these quacks.”
INSTANT ANALYSIS
There at least law firm in Garissa. during the raid two run away after getting wind of the operation. Mbugua said they will not relent until they arrest and close down all firms now adhering to the practicing stands.
LSK council member and the chairperson for the LSK’s Practice Standards Committee Steve Mbugua said that they had received numerous complaints from members of the public concerning quacks masquerading as lawyers.
The society has been going round the country as it intensifies its crackdown to week out quacks in the profession.
