Public complaints against lawyers in Kenya on the rise

The Advocates Complainants Commission (ACC) has expressed concern about the rise in the number of complaints raised by the public against advocates.

Commission chairperson Beauttah Siganga (pictured) said they had received more than 600 complaints against the over 13,000 advocates practising in the country annually.

"This represents about 10 per cent of all registered lawyers in the country," said Mr Siganga.

He urged advocates to handle their work with integrity and uphold professionalism and honesty, warning them against swindling the public of their hard-earned money.

Siganga was speaking at a legal aid and sensitisation meeting for the public in Narok town yesterday.

He advised the public to gather all the information they required regarding a lawyer before filing a case.

He also advised clients to seek information from their lawyers and understand their cases before filing them.

This includes information on the advocates' remuneration and other costs in order to minimise complaints and conflicts.

"Seventy-two per cent of the complaints we receive involve advocates' remunerations and other costs that arise from the case and this implies that there is no clear communication between the lawyer and his client," he said.

Narok North Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Ronald Mwiwawi, who represented County Commissioner Moffat Kangi, noted the large number of land cases pending in court and appealed to the Judiciary to expedite them.

"You find a land case has been pending in court for more than 30 years, which delays justice and causes more anguish for the parties. It also increases conflict," he said.