Hundreds rush for free legal aid

Hundreds of Kenyans, majority in their old age, thronged Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi for free legal advice, on Monday.

Most of those who sought Law Society of Kenya’s (LSK) legal assistance said they had reached a dead end in their search for justice because they cannot afford to hire lawyers.

For Ms Elizabeth Atieno, it has been 26 years of agony, which have reduced her to a beggar.

The 52-year-old says she once had a promising career with the Ministry of Tourism as a telephone operator. But this was only until the evening of August 15, 1989 when she was arrested for walking around without an identification card.

“I had left work as usual and went back to my house in Kariobangi. I was going to a nearby shop at 7.30pm when I met police officers. They asked for my identification and when I failed to produce it, they bundled me into a waiting vehicle,” Atieno said.

DISMISSAL LETTER

She thought she would be released the next day but to her dismay, she was instead taken to Makadara Law Courts and charged with being in possession of illicit brew.

She says the case was bungled because she could not afford the services of a lawyer. She would be jailed for four months. This marked the start of her tribulations as her employer and colleagues shunned her.

“I got a letter from my director a week before I was released. I opened it with optimism only to find it was a suspension letter. I had been relieved of my duties for being convicted for an offence I never committed”.

She says she tried to go back to the office when she was eventually released but the security guard refused her entry, saying she had been dismissed.

Later, she went to demand her pay but the director told her she forfeited everything when she was jailed.

“I had worked as permanent and pensionable employee for 15 years. They have refused to give me my pension. They have never issued me with a termination letter,” she said.

SEEKING JUSTICE
This is why she decided to seek the assistance of LSK. She also got audience with High Court principal judge Richard Mwongo to get help.

For Mr Bedan Nyaga, his five siblings disowned him in efforts to grab land his mother left him.

“I decided to look for letters of administration to manage my mother’s estate on behalf of my siblings after her death in 2002. I was surprised to discover my siblings had gone to court claiming they did not know me,” Mr Nyaga says.

He says that is why he had sought LSK’s help to get his inheritance.

These were some of the cases witnessed at the free legal aid, with Justice Mwongo outlining the need to come up with laws to guide legal assistance for the poor.

“The government has published the Legal Aid Bill, which once passed by Parliament will ensure people who cannot afford lawyers can still access legal services,” judge Mwongo said.