LSK to Lead Nationwide March Over Killings of Advocates Esther Keige and Edward Kariuki

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) will lead a nationwide march on Friday, 10 July 2026, to demand justice following the killings of advocates Esther Wairimu Keige and Edward Muthee Kariuki.

LSK President Charles Kanjama said the Nairobi march will begin at the Milimani Law Courts, where advocates will gather from 9.00 a.m. before proceeding to the National Police Service headquarters to present a petition to the Inspector-General of Police. Participants have been asked to wear formal attire and purple ribbons as a sign of unity and remembrance.

Similar marches will take place in all regional branches under the leadership of local LSK officials. The Society said the deaths should not be treated as separate incidents but as an attack on the legal profession, the administration of justice and the rule of law.

In a statement, LSK said the killing of two advocates within one week required a strong institutional response. Kanjama said the demonstration would be peaceful and orderly, reflecting the legal profession’s commitment to constitutional principles.

Keige, a senior legal officer at the Kenya Forest Service, and Kariuki, who was found dead outside his home in Athi River on 5 July, are the two advocates at the centre of the Society’s demands for action. LSK has called for the immediate formation of a multi-agency investigative team, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), to examine the two murders and determine whether they are connected to wider criminal networks.

The Society has also requested a forensic audit of disputed land transactions handled by the Kenya Forest Service’s legal department over the past year to establish whether Keige’s death was linked to her official duties. The Society is also seeking stronger security measures for advocates working in public institutions and regulatory agencies, saying many face threats from criminal groups and corrupt interests because of their work.

In addition, LSK has urged the DCI and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to provide regular public updates on the investigations, including progress, arrests and any prosecutions. It said greater transparency would help deliver justice for the families of the victims and strengthen public confidence in the justice system.

The deaths have raised concerns within the legal profession about the safety of advocates whose work often involves disputes with powerful individuals and organisations. The planned nationwide march is expected to bring together advocates, judicial officers, law students, civil society organisations and constitutional commissions in support of the Society’s demands.

LSK said the march will honour the two advocates while calling on the State to fulfil its constitutional responsibility to protect life and uphold the rule of law. Kanjama said: “An attack on an advocate is an attack on the administration of justice itself.”