An Advocate of the High Court with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has filed a petition to remove Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen from the Roll of Advocates, citing gross misconduct and complicity in state violence during youth-led protests.
The petition, filed by Nairobi-based Advocate Kepha Ojijo and received by the LSK on Monday June 30, 2025, accuses the two senior State officials of violating the Advocates’ Code of Conduct and the oath of advocates through their roles in overseeing brutal police crackdowns during the 2024 and 2025 Gen Z demonstrations.
“The respondents continue to identify as advocates while overseeing state-sanctioned brutality,” the petition reads in part. “This misleads the public and demeans the integrity of the legal profession.”
Ojijo cited numerous instances where peaceful protesters were shot, abducted, or disappeared, particularly during the June 25, 2025 protests, which left dozens injured.
Among the most high-profile cases was the incident of a hawker, Boniface Kariuki who was shot in the head during a peaceful protest in Nairobi, triggering national outrage and calls for justice.
He explained that the two have demonstrated cruelty and misconduct while executing their public duties, with citizens being killed or abducted under their watch.
The petition also faults Kindiki and Murkomen for failing to take responsibility or express any remorse, accusing them of praising law enforcement despite mounting evidence of human rights violations.
Ojijo argues that the continued recognition of the two as practicing advocates undermines the ethical foundation of the legal profession, especially when they are accused of presiding over extrajudicial operations targeting young people.
“If the respondents wish to engage in politics, they should do so without wearing the hat of advocates,” Ojijo states in the petition.
He has called for an urgent Special General Meeting of LSK members to vote on whether to strike Kindiki and Murkomen off the Roll of Advocates. Alternatively, he proposes that the matter be referred to the Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal.
LSK has affirmed its position, reiterating that all licensed advocates must uphold the highest standards of human rights, accountability, and constitutionalism—principles they claim the two leaders have breached.
