NAIROBI, Kenya Sep14-Chief Justice Martha Koome has urged lawyers to always adhere to proper ethical conduct, particularly when having financial dealings with their clients.
Speaking on Monday when she presided over the admission of 97 advocates to the bar, the Chief Justice said that some unscrupulous lawyers are notorious for defrauding their clients even after the court makes a decree.
“Money is important, but you will come to realize that when you come to my age that it doesn’t mean much as long as you have met your daily requirement. The excesses will not mean much as they will not give you the peace and the tranquility that you need,” said Koome.
The Chief Justice warned the newly admitted lawyers that they risk being struck off the list due to greed in their line of duty.
“Such unethical conduct goes against the conduct the ethic of what we call in Kenya “utu”(humanity) that underlies our constitutional order. I hope yours will be the generation of lawyers that put a stop to such practice,” noted Koome.
She further urged the lawyers to contribute solutions in the society through offering free legal solutions to the vulnerable and marginalized in the society especially victims of gender-based violence.
“I can assure you in the community you live [in] there is always something for us to do for either a child, teen or the youth in order to pull up one another. In the society you will find people who are in dire need for legal advice, go the extra mile to ensure the vulnerable access justice,” said the Chief justice.
The first female chief justice in Kenya pans her career from pro-bono representation of victims of gender and sexual violence in Kenya. Often her colleagues would not want to represent female clients, so she took on their cases and became a legal activist for women.
Access to justice in Kenya is still regarded as expensive due to high legal fees levied by lawyers. Most of the population cannot afford to retain the services of a lawyer.
With the court facing a backlog of cases especially land disputes, Koome has advised lawyers to make use of the alternative dispute resolution mechanism to reduce the chronic backlog of cases.
“Please don’t get into the practice of derailing the conclusion of cases. We want to eliminate the terms like “stood over” generally by embracing active case management,” she said.
Attorney General Kihara Kariuki in a statement read by a representative from his office Lawrence Muiruri urged advocates not to always engage in adversarial litigation.
The Attorney General lamented that the legal community was slowly evaporating due to hatred and disrespect in the litigation process.
“Courtesy which should be the hallmark of the legal community has been eroded by antagonism,” read the statement by the Attorney General.
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