The tenure of the current President of the Law Society of Kenya is coming to an end and elections for the next head are set for Thursday 19th February 2026.
However, despite the position having been occupied by a strong, award winning woman – Faith Odhiambo, it has curiously failed to attract any Female candidate. Interesting too is that the post of the Vice Presidency, has attracted no male candidate either. One wonders whether this arrangement is an unconscious restoration of default patriarchal settings. That’s a topic for another day.
In the order of seniority, the contestants are Charles Kanjama, Peter Wanyama and Mwaura Kabata.
There are all legal titans in their own way. Kanjama is a reknown legal pundit frequently appearing in major media stations to analyse legal and public interest issues. He was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Counsel in the year 2022. He holds numerous professional qualifications including CPA-K, CPS-K and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute. He is a past member of the Council of LSK, the first Chairman of the LSK Nairobi Branch and first chair of the Branch Chairs Caucus. He was a founder and current Chairman of the Nairobi Legal Awards Trust. He is a devout Catholic often associated with the Opus Dei which is a personal prelature of the Catholic church. He has also been a chairman of the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum. He has also authored a book known as Family Law Digest: Matrimonial Property.
His candidacy is pegged on what he is calling “principled leadership” and a bridge between traditional practice and new technology. His opponents accuse him of being a religious fundamentalist but he has countered the accusations by stating that his faith is a personal identity that has so far not compromised his professional objectivity.
Another accusation is that his retainer as one of the most sought Advocate for the Judicial Service Commission means that he may be conflicted in confronting Judicial impunity. He vehemently denies this accusation citing that representing JSC is a mark of professional competence rather than lack of independence.
The next candidate is Peter Wanyama popularly known as PMO. He is a perfect embodiment of a rags to riches story. His family was displaced from Mt Elgon during the 1992 tribal clashes and he grew up in extreme poverty in Bungoma. He fortunately emerged out of poverty to become a leading advocate in the country who is never shy to flash his achievements and possessions.
He is one of the pioneer lawyers in Devolution law and has represented various County Governments and the Council of Governors in landmark cases. He is also reknown in the areas of Policy Review and Legislative drafting. He has also handled major commercial disputes and one prominent one is the Nairobi Hospital leadership dispute where he had a highly publicised tiff with Justice Prof. Sifuna.
His detractors claim he has no leadership experience or prior service in the LSK or it’s branches unlike his 2 rivals. It is suggested that the society cannot afford to have a President who will learn on the job. He counters this argument by stating that for not being part of the “old guard” he is bringing freshness to the LSK leadership unlike his competitors who have nothing new to offer.
Unlike his 2 rivals, Mwaura Kabata is trying the Presidency for the very first time. He is a founding Partner at Alakonya Law LLP and heads the dispute resolution department. He is the incumbent Vice President of the LSK but was previously General Member Representative at the LSK Council. He had also served as a Deputy Secretary General at the East Africa Law Society.
He featured prominently in the defence of Gen Z’s arrested during the 2024- 2025 protests by leveraging on his legal expertise and leadership position to challenge state actions of charging protestors with terrorism related charges. He was also at the forefront of the LSK’s response to the abduction of activists.
In the presidential race, he positions himself as an efficiency and continuity candidate. He says he is ready to build on the achievements of the Faith Odhiambo led council in which he was her deputy.
He points out that he has a unique understanding of the Society’s history and problems unlike Wanyama’s lack of Council experience and Kanjama’s long absence from elected LSK Leadership.
Another central feature of his manifesto is to complete digitization of LSK services, to build on the newly commissioned LSK ERP System and eliminate ineffectiency.
His critics particularly his rival Peter Wanyama accuses him of being part of the current LSK status quo with inability to bring change. He was also accused of influencing the LSK ERP tender award to ABNO Software Ltd. He denied accusations of there being irregularity in the tender award and asserted that the award followed the normal LSK protocols.
On the accusation of LSK being in a state of inertia, he counters the argument by saying that the LSK under his watch has made tremendous reforms, fought against excesses of the state and worked on administrative efficiency at the LSK. He further answers Wanyama by asserting that the LSK is too important and too complex to afford a leader on a learning curve.
Who would you want to see as the next LSK President and why?
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