Kumbe our courts have a mediation mess on their hands! LSK Boss Charles Kanjama just dropped the hammer on Court-Annexed Mediation, claiming some mediators are playing lawyer without the law degree—and that's a whole problem, sawa?

The Tea on Court Mediation is Piping Hot

Listen, when the Law Society of Kenya's president starts using words like "practical and systemic breaches," you know something serious is cooking. Kanjama isn't out here making noise for nothing—he's flagging real issues that are happening in courtrooms across Nairobi and beyond. We're talking mediators stepping into lawyer territory, settling cases without advocates present even when parties are represented, and non-lawyers allegedly issuing "legal direction" like they studied jurisprudence at the University of WhatsApp. Aki, the audacity!

The LSK president made it crystal clear: court-annexed mediation was supposed to speed up case resolution and ease the burden on our overloaded courts. Sawa, that's noble. But what's happening now? It's evolved into something that looks suspiciously like a parallel justice system where anyone with a "mediator" certificate can push people into settling cases that involve serious legal questions. That's not complementing the justice system—that's hijacking it, lakini.

Why Lawyers Are Throwing Their Files Down

Here's where it gets spicy: imagine you've got a complex case involving land rights, contract disputes, or inheritance—matters that need proper legal expertise. You're in court, your advocate is ready, but then the mediator says "sawa sawa, lawyers not needed here." Now you're in a mediation room with someone who might not understand the legal implications of what they're pushing you to agree to. That's dangerous, ndio?

Kanjama's concerns aren't theoretical—they're real breaches happening right now. Mediators collecting fees without proper oversight, non-advocates soliciting clients like they're selling sim cards, and settlements that have shakier legal ground than a Nairobi rental agreement. The LSK chief warned that professional accountability is becoming "optional," which is code for "the system is falling apart."

The Reform Blueprint Kanjama Just Dropped

Here's the thing though—Kanjama isn't just complaining. He's proposing actual solutions: expand advocate-mediator accreditation, establish proper mediation units through LSK branches countrywide, set clearer standards with the Judiciary, and crack down on what he called the "masqueraders" operating outside legal boundaries. That's a workable roadmap, and it shows LSK wants court-annexed mediation to work properly, not disappear.

The message is sharp: CAM can stay, but only if it operates within professional safeguards. Legal complexity requires legally trained people. Simple as that. No shortcuts, no parallel systems, no removing advocates from matters that need them.

The Jukwaa Take: LSK just reminded everyone that you can't build a justice system on shortcuts—court-annexed mediation needs serious oversight before it becomes a lawless zone.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya