Law society rebels plan a special meeting
What you need to know:
- The group’s spokesman, Edwin Sifuna, said attending the May 30 meeting would undermine the supreme authority of members who voted to abandon the project at the last annual general meeting.
- In a statement to members, Mr Mutua said the measures would be discussed at the consultative meeting in a bid to thrash out the concerns raised.
A fresh controversy is brewing at the Law Society of Kenya following plans by defiant members to hold a special general meeting.
Members who have been opposed to the construction of a Sh1.2 billion office block said the attempt by the law society council to convene a consultative meeting was to divert attention on critical issues affecting the society.
The “OkoaLSK” members have started collecting signatures requesting the meeting. The society accuses the group of disrupting the March 21 annual general meeting.
“Kindly note that the membership of the society will not be participating in the “consultative” meetings on the Arbitration Centre organised by the council,” the group said in a statement.
INVITATIONS SENT
The group’s spokesman, Edwin Sifuna, said attending the May 30 meeting would undermine the supreme authority of members who voted to abandon the project at the last annual general meeting.
“The law requires that we collect signatures from at least five per cent of members in all branches. This comes to about 500 signatures. We began last week and we had 1,120 signatures by Tuesday,” Mr Sifuna said.
On Monday the society leadership said they would find an independent architect and quantity surveyor to review the cost of the Sh1.2 billion office block.
Law society Chairman Erick Mutua also announced plans to appoint a management committee for the centre, independent of the council.
In a statement to members, Mr Mutua said the measures would be discussed at the consultative meeting in a bid to thrash out the concerns raised.
The composition of the consultative meeting will be the council, senior counsel, 15 representatives of the petitioners in court and three representatives from every branch of the society.
The council has already sent out invitations.
The Arbitration Centre is also expected to house law society offices. A council meeting last month also resolved to hold the adjourned annual meeting on September 26 at the Bomas of Kenya.
“We came up with this date bearing in mind the need to accommodate any roadmap that may be agreed upon at the forum,” Mr Mutua said.
The society is planning to discipline five members who were part of a group that disrupted the March 21 meeting.
