LSK faces scrutiny as young lawyers march against sexual harassment

A group of young lawyers, those in pupilage and law students, on Friday morning marched to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) offices along Gitanga Road to protest against alleged rampant cases of sexual harassment by their seniors.

In their numbers and armed with vuvuzelas and placards, the group demanded action from LSK, accusing the society of failing to reprimand those allegedly involved in the vice.

They said they will move to court to seek justice for victims, most of whom remain silent due to fear of victimisation.

Trained to champion for justice and fight perpetrators of injustice, the young men and women - dressed in official advocate attire – said they have become victims of the same injustice.

The group claimed there have been rampant cases of sexual harassment involving a section of their senior colleagues.

"We reject a profession where power is abused, where complaints are ignored, where victims are interrogated instead of protected and where perpetrators continue to rise while survivors are punished with silence," said lawyer Faith Wandera.

Esther Karanja, a complainant, added: “The manner in which my complaint was handled was irregular. This is not a small issue. This is not something to be neglected."

The group, which camped at LSK offices, wants implementation of the sexual harassment policy passed in 2019.

They said they would seek legal redress in court and ensure justice is served for the victims as a way of protecting future lawyers.

"It's the right time for us to ensure that we have a sexual harassment policy that binds. There is no reason why we have a Sexual Harassment of 2019 that has proven to be toothless, and the decision came out in November last year and it's end of February 2026 and nothing has been done to reform," said lawyer Wycliffe Oyoo.

Lawyer Ruth Ambogo noted: "Hatutabakia hapa, hatutamake statements pekee yake. Tunaenda kortini, tunaenda kushtaki wale wote wamesemekana wanafanya sexual harassment katika profession ya mawakili."

LSK Vice President Mwaura Kabata confirmed that the society has received a few complaints. Kabata, however, said the specific case reported by a complainant was dealt with by the Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal, which ruled that they did not have jurisdiction as sexual harassment is a criminal offence. He called for cooperation to battle the vice.

"We are asking members of the public as well as members of LSK who have information against members of LSK to report because sooner or later it’s important to protect our societies from persons who conduct themselves in a manner that is not only embarrassing but shameful," Kabata said.

LSK President Faith Odhiambo had earlier this week issued a statement committing to ensuring justice for victims.