The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has shut down three illegal law firms in Garissa and apprehended individuals falsely presenting themselves as qualified advocates on Thursday.

The move aims to safeguard the integrity of the legal profession and protect the public from fraudulent practices.

The operation, spearheaded by the LSK’s Practice Standards Directorate in collaboration with the Practice Standards and Ethics Committee, was a follow-up to an earlier compliance inspection conducted in February.

During that visit, several law firms had been issued notices to comply with the LSK Regulations of 2020, which require every law office in Kenya to be manned by a licensed and registered advocate.

Committee Chairperson Steven Mbugua reiterated LSK’s commitment to weeding out unqualified practitioners.

“Today, the Law Society of Kenya Practice Standards and Ethics Committee visited Garissa County upon the invitation of the regional leadership. The sole purpose of our visit was to arrest individuals masquerading as advocates. We have received numerous complaints from members of the public falling victim to these fraudsters,” said Mbugua.

He revealed that critical documents had been recovered from the illegal offices, some involving property transactions worth millions of shillings.

“It is unfortunate that innocent clients trusted these unqualified individuals with sensitive legal matters, including conveyancing. These masqueraders neither had the knowledge nor the capacity to handle such work,” he added.

LSK Garissa Chapter Chair, Mr. Edwin Nyipolo, thanked the national office for responding to their call for intervention.

“This crackdown is not just for lawyers; it is for the members of the public. People are losing cases, property, and money because of these quacks. We appreciate LSK for putting people first and coming all the way to Garissa. We hope this will not be the last operation as many others are still at large,” said Nyipolo.

Closure notices were visibly affixed to the shuttered offices to warn unsuspecting members of the public.

The LSK has urged Kenyans to verify the credentials of anyone purporting to be an advocate through the society’s online search engine before engaging their services.