Fake lawyer charged in court

BY VINCENT MABATUK

Nakuru, Kenya: A fake legal practitioner was on Thursday hauled before a court in Nakuru and charged with practicing without required qualifications.

Dickson Kibet Koech was accused that on diverse dates between March 2010 and April 2014 masqueraded as a lawyer and even addressed the court on several occasions something he denied.

The accused was arrested on April 10 in one of the four different law firms he has been working for.

Lawyer Steve Kabita while representing the accused asked senior principal magistrate Joel Ngeno to release the accused on bond pending hearing and determination of the case.

The alleged imposter who wore a brown camel jacket, white checked shirt with sun glasses faced down throughout the short session that lasted about five minutes before he was whisked away through the holding cell door.

The court released him on a bond of Sh50, 000 or an alternative cash bail of Sh20, 000 until July 16 when the case will be heard.  

According to LSK Rift Valley chapter, the suspect has been operating as Kibet Koech while representing clients in courts in Nakuru and its environs.

Lawyer David Mongeri the LSK chairman said such a name never existed in their records of licensed practicing lawyers in the region and was fake.

The accused according to LSK has been invoking the name of another lawyer in Nairobi and even using his personal registration number to convince clients and the society.

Before his arrest, former LSK chairman Kipkoech Ngetich said the accused had succeeded in duping innocent members of the public and representing them adorning in the paraphernalia of a legal practitioner in courts.

Police officers in civilian raided his office and arrested the suspect. During the raid that lasted for about one hour, volumes of documents that included rubberstamps he has been using to certify his documents were impounded.

Mongeri who described the incident as unfortunate said many Kenyans have been seeking services of fake legal practitioners for long and it was time to get rid of them.

In South Rift alone, he said 15 illegal legal practitioners were hiding in various offices without the knowledge of LSK and members of the public who continue to stream into their officers in search for legal assistance.

He named Nakuru, Eldama Ravine, Molo, Litein, Bomet, Narok and Kericho towns as most infiltrated by legal masqueraders.