The country's legal fraternity was on Wednesday thrown into mourning following the tragic death of a High Court Lawyer James Nyaata Onchiri.
According to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo, Onchiri’s lifeless body was found lying at one of the prefabricated buildings near the Kajiado Law Courts on Tuesday, October 22.
While narrating the incident, Odhiambo disclosed that she was informed about the advocate's death by an individual privy to the information. Faith Odhiambo revealed that she decided to visit the scene, upon her arrival, she found the area cordoned off by a team of Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers.
Odhiambo while expressing her heartfelt condolences to the lawyer’s family, stated that the DCI officers from the homicide department had commenced investigations to unravel the root cause of the advocate’s death.
“At this point, we do not wish to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the death and we urge the investigating authorities to conduct thorough and swift investigations, to uncover the motive and cause of death,” the LSK boss noted.
The LSK boss went ahead to urge Kenyans with information that could aid the investigations to report to the nearest police station and cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to ensure the perpetrators of the heinous act were brought to justice.
Faith Odhiambo also called on members of the public to exercise patience and sensitivity towards the matter even as she promised to provide more details regarding the outcome of the investigations soon.
“The Law Society of Kenya extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends. Colleagues of Advocate Onchiri, and the entire legal fraternity during this difficult time. We unequivocally condemn this heinous act in the strongest possible terms and stand together in solidarity, grieving the loss of our member,” Odhiambo noted.
Lawyer James Onchiri's death comes at a time when the legal fraternity is mourning the death of two High Court judges who passed away within the span of one week.
Judge Benard Kipyegon Rugut passed away on Tuesday, October 22 under unclear circumstances.
While mourning the Molo Law Courts judge, Chief Justice Martha Koome termed Rugut as a dedicated and hard-working judiciary employee.
Rugut's death came against the backdrop of Judge Zena Atetwe Rashid passing away on Sunday, October 20 due to an undisclosed illness. Zena worked as a judge at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
"On my own behalf and that of the Judiciary fraternity, I extend heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and loved ones. We pray that the Almighty God graces us with the fortitude to brave this difficult period and rest her soul in eternal peace," Koome mourned Rashid.
