Fake lawyers busted in Garissa town as Law Society of Kenya cracks down on illegal law firms
Speaking to journalists at the Garissa Police Station where the suspects are being held, Mbugu confirmed that the operation aimed to enforce legal standards and remove individuals posing as advocates.
Three people were arrested on Thursday in Garissa town during a crackdown by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) targeting fake and unlicensed legal practitioners. The operation aimed to weed out individuals posing as advocates and offering legal services without proper credentials.
Two other suspects escaped during the raid, while four offices were shut down for operating without legal accreditation.
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The crackdown, which was led by LSK’s Practice Standards Committee Chairperson Steve Mbugua, is part of LSK’s broader effort to enforce legal standards and protect the public from fraud.
Speaking to journalists at the Garissa Police Station where the suspects are being held, Mbugu confirmed that the operation aimed to enforce legal standards and remove individuals posing as advocates.
Mbugua stated that the LSK had received several complaints from the public about the presence of unauthorised individuals offering legal services.
He said the offices had been issued with compliance notices as required by the Law Society of Kenya Regulations, 2020.
“Our sole purpose today was to weed out and arrest those persons who have been masquerading as advocates,” said Mbugua.
“We received numerous complaints, and we gave notices to those offices to comply. The regulations require that every law firm and every advocate’s office in the country must be manned by a licensed advocate and registered with LSK.”
Documents seized
Mbugua further revealed that key documents were recovered from the offices, some of which involved conveyancing transactions worth millions of shillings.
He expressed concern that individuals with no legal qualifications were handling critical legal matters and misleading the public.
“We have recovered very critical documents, which is unfortunate. Some involve conveyancing worth millions of shillings. Yet the persons arrested are not qualified and do not understand what they were doing,” he said.
Zulfa Roble addressing journalists at Garissa Police Station after the arrest of suspected fake lawyers operating in the town. (Photo: Issa Hussein)
He urged the public to verify legal practitioners’ credentials using the LSK’s online search tool, which allows confirmation of an advocate’s registration status.
“I want to call on members of the public to conduct due diligence while seeking legal services from advocates so that they are not deceived by people claiming to be lawyers,” he said. “You can check their name on the LSK website or request a copy of their practising certificate.”
Mbugua also warned licensed advocates against allowing unqualified individuals to operate under their firms. He said any such cases would be treated as misconduct, and disciplinary action would be taken in accordance with LSK regulations.
Significant losses
Zulfa Roble, a practising advocate in Garissa and a member of the LSK national council, said fake lawyers had caused significant losses to the public in the region.
“We have had problems here of people who are not advocates opening offices and defrauding innocent citizens. We have been following these cases. We are glad that today we have arrested some of them who will be arraigned in court tomorrow,” she said.
Zulfa said many people had lost legal cases and money due to being misled by unqualified individuals posing as lawyers.
“We have seen citizens who have been misguided by these quacks, and they end up losing their cases and resources,” she said.
Edwin Nyipolo, an advocate in Garissa and the LSK chapter contact person, welcomed the crackdown, thanking the LSK for taking action and calling the exercise essential for protecting the public.
“I want to reiterate that this crackdown is not for the lawyers. It is for the members of the public,” said Nyipolo. “These people who are feigning to be advocates are really messing up people’s cases in court. People are losing cases, property, and money because of these quacks.”
The three suspects are set to be arraigned as investigations continue to track down the others who escaped during the operation.
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