Rogue Lawyers Blamed For Succession Cases Backlog

Greedy lawyers have been accused of taking advantage of the less fortunate to prolong succession cases with the objective of minting more money.

Ahadi Kenya Trust Director Dr Stanley Kamau has claimed the more a succession case is prolonged, the more money the lawyers get.

He observed that the challenge is mainly affecting widows and orphans who find it hard to have their cases finalised.

The director  asked the Law Society of Kenya to read the riot act to rogue lawyers who also defraud their clients’ of money especially when one is compensated after being involved in an accident.

“Rogue lawyers need to be named and ashamed. They are taking advantage of the poor. Instead of hastening succession cases, they want the process to be prolonged so they continue being paid for every time they appear in court,” said Kamau at Gatura Catholic Church where he donated food to widows and persons living with disability.

He said the government should provide free legal services to the persons living with disabilities and poor widows so that they can own properties of their deceased husbands.

In Murang’a County, Kamau said there have been many unresolved succession cases which have denied widows the opportunity to develop their matrimonial land.

“In some instances, the widows are even chased away once their husbands are buried. This trend should come to an end and let the rightful get what belongs to them.  The process of handling succession cases needs to be hastened,” he added.

Kamau who for a long period has been campaigning against jigger menace said his organisation has launched legal clinics which will help the less fortunate get justice on issues touching succession.

“We have partnered with a group of lawyers who will help to hasten determination of succession cases. The clinics will be held in various parts of Murang’a County from now for a period of about three months,” he further said.

A local resident, Sarah Wanjiru lamented that since their father passed on in 2016, they have not solved the land succession case.

She said the first lawyer they mandated the task disappeared two years later leaving the cases unsolved by the court.

“Currently we have no money and we hope through this free legal assistance by Ahadi Kenya, the succession row will be solved. Brothers of my late father usually want us out of the two acres of land located in  Mukurwe area of Gatanga sub county,” she lamented.