LSK shuts down illegal law offices in Malindi amid surge in fraud complaints

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has shut down several illegal law offices in Malindi, Kilifi County, following numerous complaints from residents who were allegedly defrauded by individuals posing as advocates.

LSK Malindi Chairperson Sirya Kiponda said investigations revealed that many of the closed offices were being run by clerks and unqualified individuals who impersonated licensed advocates. He added that confidential legal documents were being stored in cyber cafés instead of secure legal premises.

“Formal notices have been issued to shut down all unlicensed offices, with an option to appeal by proving the presence of qualified personnel,” Kiponda said.

He urged residents to verify the credentials of lawyers before seeking legal services and called on licensed practitioners to comply with staffing and registration requirements.

LSK Deputy President Mwaura Kabata said the decision was part of a wider effort to restore public confidence in the legal profession and protect Kenyans from exploitation.

“We will take stern action against those practising without proper credentials,” Kabata warned, adding that the crackdown would continue across the country.

Lawyer Teresia Wavinya Nicholas urged individuals intending to open branch offices to comply with LSK regulations to avoid disciplinary action.

The society said the Malindi crackdown forms part of a national operation targeting fake and unlicensed practitioners. It comes days after three people were arrested in Garissa town, while four offices were shut down, and two suspects escaped arrest.

“Our sole purpose today was to weed out and arrest those persons who have been masquerading as advocates,” LSK Council Member Steve Mbugua, who led the Garissa operation, said.

Mbugua, who also chairs the LSK Practice Standards Committee, disclosed that the team recovered critical legal documents during the raids.

“This is unfortunate. Some of them involve conveyancing worth millions of shillings, yet the persons who have been arrested are not qualified and did not even understand what they were doing. The members of the public thought the person offering them the services was an advocate,” he said.

He further raised concern over a growing trend where registered advocates employ unqualified individuals as office managers or “ambulance chasers,” saying such practices were compromising professional ethics and misrepresenting clients.

Through its ongoing inspections, the LSK said it had uncovered similar incidents in other counties. Wavinya revealed that in recent months, two people had been arrested in Siaya, six in Bungoma, and two in Garissa for posing as advocates and defrauding the public.

“We are going to eradicate all quacks and masqueraders who have penetrated our profession, and if we hear of your existence, we are coming for you,” she said.

LSK reaffirmed that every law firm in the country must be manned by a licensed and registered advocate to ensure accountability and professionalism.

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“Every law firm, every office of an advocate, must be manned by a licensed advocate and registered for the particular office,” Wavinya said.

The society said the crackdown, which will cover all 47 counties, is intended to safeguard the integrity of Kenya’s legal system, protect clients and ensure that legal services are provided only by qualified practitioners.