NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has accused some judges and judicial officers of penalising advocates with case dismissals and adjournment fees despite the Society’s nationwide court boycott, warning that it will escalate targeted action against those it says interfered with lawyers’ constitutional rights.

📻 Breaking It Down

Speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, LSK President Charles Kanjama said the Society had received numerous reports from advocates across the country alleging that some courts proceeded with scheduled matters despite prior notice of the boycott, resulting in adverse orders against lawyers and their clients.

“We are concerned that in several instances, some judges and judicial officers have failed to comply with the notice that was issued that lawyers would be exercising their constitutional rights,” Kanjama told news reporters.

He said the Society was documenting complaints from members whose cases had allegedly been dismissed or who had been ordered to pay adjournment fees after declining to proceed with matters in line with the boycott.

📌 What You Need to Know

“We are still receiving information from our members who are being forced to proceed with matters, some of whose matters have been struck out with prejudice. Others have been required to pay adjournment fees. We are compiling a full list,” he said.

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Kanjama warned that the LSK reserved the right to pursue further action against judicial officers found to have undermined the boycott.

“The Law Society of Kenya reserves and intends to exercise its right to take other action against any judicial officer or any person who interferes with the right of lawyers to push for accountability,” he stated.

The Society urged advocates to continue observing the nationwide boycott throughout Wednesday while documenting any incidents arising in court stations across the country.

Kanjama also announced that the LSK would intensify its indefinite targeted boycott against specific judges and magistrates previously named by the Society, saying the experience from the first day of the action had reinforced the need for a total withdrawal from proceedings before those judicial officers.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya