Young advocates, law students and law interns marched to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) offices on Gitanga Road on Friday, 13 February 2026, demanding action against sexual harassment, poor pay and toxic working environments within the legal profession.
The peaceful protest, which began at Valley Arcade Mall at 9:30 am, brought together advocates, law students, interns and pupils calling for accountability and reform.
Addressing the gathering, Advocate Esther Barbara Wamboi Karanja said her decision last year to confront a “notorious serial sexual” offender had sparked a wider movement.
“What began as a personal fight has impacted a broader movement. Survivors are sick. Predators are being called out,” she said.
Karanja accused the LSK of failing to act despite multiple complaints.
“There are very many victims who have come forward, and yet LSK is still protecting the same predators that continue to prey on us,” she told journalists.
She added, “We will not stand for an institution that continues to protect sexual predators. We will not back down with all the intimidation you have directed towards us. You will not shut us down. We are not afraid.”
Her remarks were echoed by Advocate Faith Wandera Ong’ayo, whose statement described sexual harassment as deeply entrenched within the profession.
“We stand here not because we enjoy protests, but because silence has failed us,” she said.
“Sexual harassment has been normalised in the legal profession. It is whispered in corridors, disguised as mentorship, excused as ‘how things are done,’ and buried under fear, power and intimidation.”
She added that many young advocates, particularly women, had been forced to choose between their careers and their dignity.
“We reject a profession where power is abused, where complaints are ignored, where victims are interrogated instead of protected and where perpetrators continue to rise while survivors are punished with silence,” she said.
Wandera directly challenged the LSK’s leadership, saying, “A professional body that runs away from accountability cannot be trusted and has failed in its most basic duty.”
Protesters called for the review and amendment of the society’s sexual harassment policy, demanding a safe, independent and fearless reporting mechanism that would protect complainants from victimisation and retaliation.
Another advocate, Ephy Sheila, questioned the profession’s moral authority if it could not protect its own members.
“We cannot go out there and say that we will protect the public when our very own young advocates do not have anywhere to report,” she said. “If they cannot protect the young advocate, if they are not protecting women, then we have failed.”
She urged leaders to set clear timelines for reform. “We have to amend it, and it has to be binding on everybody, every partner of the firm, every leader of a law firm, every advocate, law student, pupil,” she said.
Law student Omwanza, speaking on behalf of thousands preparing to join the profession, asked, “After school, we are coming to join this profession. We are asking one question, in whose hands are we safe?”
He rallied demonstrators with chants of “Viva comrades viva,” adding, “Let us say no to sexual harassment. Let us say no to peanuts. Let us say no to intimidation.”
Throughout the protest, speakers insisted that the movement was not about personalities but about structural change.
“Today is not about politics. Today is about dignity, safety and justice,” Wandera said. “No justice in silence. No dignity without accountability. No safe profession without action.”
The demonstrators vowed to continue pressing for reform until concrete measures are taken.
“We will not be silenced. We will not be intimidated. We will not stop until the legal profession is safe for all,” Wandera concluded.
The protest follows years of growing complaints from law students, interns and junior advocates who say sexual exploitation has become an entrenched problem in parts of the profession.
Recent disclosures by the LSK itself show a surge in complaints, mainly from junior members attached to law firms and non-governmental organisations.
The society warned senior lawyers against making sexual advances to associates, interns and pupils, describing it as a worrying trend of abuse of power by senior colleagues against junior, vulnerable members of the profession.
In one ongoing disciplinary matter, at least 22 junior lawyers accused a single senior advocate of sexual misconduct, though the disciplinary tribunal ruled it lacked jurisdiction because sexual harassment is a criminal offence requiring prosecution through normal courts.
The LSK says many complaints have circulated informally on social media, where interns and pupils have alleged they were pressured into relationships to secure pupillage placements, job retention or favourable recommendations.
According to the society, the cases reflect a broader pattern affecting entry-level professionals who depend on senior lawyers for career progression.
Professional bodies now acknowledge gaps in enforcement. The organisation’s Sexual Harassment and Anti-Bullying Policy exists but lacks full statutory force, making enforcement difficult and leaving victims to seek criminal prosecution separately.
The revelations have triggered wider scrutiny within the bar, including political consequences. A candidate in a recent LSK election cut ties with an advocate facing harassment allegations as pressure mounted from younger members demanding accountability.
The mounting cases, spanning multiple firms and involving interns, pupils and young advocates have intensified calls for legal reforms, confidential reporting mechanisms and protection for complainants, with the LSK promising counselling services and collaboration with investigators to handle the complaints.
The protests now represent the most visible public response yet to a problem many young professionals say has long been discussed privately but rarely confronted openly.
