Behind the polished mahogany desks and leather-bound law books, Kenya’s legal profession hides a dirty secret: your daughter’s mentor might be her predator.
They call it “mentorship.” Buy her coffee. Discuss her career prospects over dinner. Offer to introduce her to the right people.
Then comes the hand on the thigh. The late-night texts. The quid pro quo whispered behind closed office doors.
Welcome to Kenya’s legal profession, where justice is blind, but allegedly, so are those who should be watching the watchdogs.
On Friday February 13,2026, law students, pupil advocates, and young lawyers stormed the Law Society of Kenya headquarters along Gitanga Road, armed with vuvuzelas, placards, and years of suppressed rage.
Their message? The same men who prosecute rapists in court are allegedly running their own harassment rings in the office.
She’s 24, fresh from law school, drowning in student loans, desperate for pupillage.
He’s 55, senior partner, connections at State House, decides who gets articles and who gets shown the door.
Do the math.
Sexual harassment has been normalized within the profession, buried under fear, power, and intimidation, and disguised as mentorship, the protesters declared.
“The senior advocate offering to ‘personally oversee your training’? Run,” said one participant, summarizing the sentiment of many young lawyers.
The numbers are chilling. In one case involving allegations against a senior lawyer, twenty-two colleagues were reportedly harassed, but only one complainant formally joined the complaint.
Twenty-one women chose their careers over justice, calculating that speaking up would cost more than staying silent.
That’s not a legal profession. That’s a protection racket.
Here’s the kicker: The Law Society of Kenya says it cannot directly intervene in sexual harassment complaints, citing the independence of the Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal.
And the Tribunal? In a November 2025 ruling, it determined it lacked jurisdiction over sexual harassment cases, declaring that police and courts should prosecute such matters as criminal offenses.
“The Tribunal says go to the police. The police say bring evidence,” one protester said.
“The evidence is often our word against a senior counsel with connections. Checkmate.”
The young lawyers vowed to take the fight to court to seek justice for victims because apparently, irony isn’t dead.
They’ll have to use the same legal system that failed to protect them to prosecute the same men who trained them.
LSK President Faith Odhiambo acknowledged a worrying trend of abuse of power by senior colleagues against junior members, noting that most complaints come from those attached to law firms and non-governmental organizations.
“People hiring you might also be harassing you,” said one advocate.
“Good luck reporting your abuser when he signs your paycheck.”
Sexual harassment allegations have even surfaced in the upcoming LSK presidential race, highlighting the irony that the body meant to clean house struggles to police its own leadership.
At the march, Esther Karanja shared her own painful experience.
“The manner in which my complaint was handled was irregular. This is not a small issue. This is not something to be neglected,” she said.
Lawyer Wycliffe Oyoo stressed the need for an enforceable sexual harassment policy.
“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 Policy of 2019 that has proven to be toothless.”
Several protestors said they know of colleagues who were too afraid to speak out because they thought saying something would mean professional ruin.
What They’re Demanding
The protesters’ demands were clear:
- A safe, independent reporting mechanism that protects complainants from retaliation.
- A system that does not demand impossible standards of proof.
- Meaningful enforcement of the 2019 Sexual Harassment Policy.
“We march so that future advocates will not have to trade their bodies or dignity for opportunities,” read one rallying statement.
“We march so that reporting harassment will not feel like professional suicide.”
LSK Vice President Mwaura Kabata said complaints have been received and addressed through the Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal, though the tribunal sometimes declines jurisdiction because sexual harassment is a criminal offense.
“Cooperation is vital in protecting the profession from behavior that is not only embarrassing but shameful,” Kabata said.
LSK President Odhiambo reiterated the society’s commitment to justice for victims, but protesters stressed they want to see immediate action.
The Society promises collaboration with FIDA-Kenya and the Witness Protection Agency.
But Friday’s protesters aren’t holding their breath. They’ve seen too many complaints buried, too many perpetrators promoted, too many victims forced out while their abusers made senior partner.
So they took to the streets. Vuvuzelas blaring. Placards raised. Official advocate attire worn like armor.
Because if the profession won’t protect them, they’ll protect themselves.
And if the Law Society won’t deliver justice?
Well, they’re lawyers. They know where the courts are.
The profession that prosecutes predators is protecting its own. Now its future is fighting back.
