LSK, Senior Counsel Bar Reject Bill Giving President Powers to Confer Senior Counsel Rank

By Njeri Irungu

Diani, Kwale County – August 14, 2025

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Senior Counsel Bar (SCB) have rejected proposed amendments to the Advocates Act that would give the President exclusive powers to confer the rank of Senior Counsel.

At their annual conference in Diani, Kwale County, the two bodies said the Advocates Amendment Bill 2025, sponsored by Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chair George Gitonga Murugara, threatens to erode the merit-based system established to recognize excellence in the legal profession.

The bill seeks to amend Section 17 of the Advocates Act to allow the President to automatically confer the title on certain office holders, including Speakers of Parliament, the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, President of the Court of Appeal, Attorney General, Solicitor General, Director of Public Prosecutions, and Presidents of the Law Society of Kenya.

LSK President Faith Odhiambo and SCB Chair Philip Murgor, reading a joint statement, warned that the change would create “two classes of Senior Counsel” and undermine the professional integrity of the rank.

“The rank of Senior Counsel is not a political gift. It is a professional honor earned through legal excellence, distinguished service, and peer recognition,” they said.

The rank, introduced in 2003, is governed by the Advocates Senior Counsel Conferment and Privileges Rules 2011. Under the current framework, applicants are vetted by the Senior Counsel Conferment Committee, and the President’s role is limited to ratifying the committee’s recommendations.

Delegates at the conference resolved that the bill should be withdrawn, stressing that nothing prevents public office holders from applying through the established procedure.

The SCB also announced that its conferment committee has been fully reconstituted and will soon begin the next round of applications.