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Caption :Stakeholders in the legal sector pose for a group photo during a meeting on access to justice and legal aid funding in Nairobi on October 26, 2026. |
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has called on the government to increase funding for legal aid services, saying millions of Kenyans face barriers accessing justice despite the growing number of advocates in the country.
LSK President Charles Kanjama said legal assistance should be treated as a basic social need, alongside health and education, to ensure vulnerable citizens can understand and enforce their rights.
He noted that the increasing number of lawyers joining the profession had not translated into adequate legal services for the public, particularly among prisoners, low-income households and communities with limited access to legal assistance.
“The public needs legal services to a very high extent, but the increasing supply of lawyers is not meeting the very large demand for legal services. There is a bottleneck somewhere, there is a lack of connection,” said Kanjama.
He was speaking during the launch of Legal Awareness Week 2026, which seeks to bring legal services closer to communities through outreach programmes, legal aid clinics and partnerships with justice sector institutions.
Kanjama said advocates needed to move beyond their offices and reach people in informal settlements, workplaces, prisons and counties where access to legal services remained limited.
He cited experiences from prison visits, where community-based organisations and, in some cases, inmates themselves helped fellow prisoners navigate appeals and reviews due to the shortage of lawyers available to assist them.
The LSK president said the government had begun allocating funds for legal aid in the 2026/2027 financial year through the National Legal Aid Service (NLAS), describing the move as a positive starting point despite the resources remaining inadequate.
He urged the government to increase allocations to legal aid providers and work with the judiciary, civil society organisations and other justice sector institutions to establish a sustainable system capable of serving the country’s more than 50 million people.
Kanjama observed that public resources were routinely directed towards health and education, yet legal services were equally important because the law underpinned access to other social and economic rights.
Meanwhile, NLAS Board Chairperson William Kimathi said legal awareness should extend beyond an annual event and become a continuous public service, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised communities.
Kimathi said the service was mandated under the Legal Aid Act, 2016, to coordinate legal aid, promote awareness of rights and strengthen partnerships to improve access to justice.
He cited Articles 48, 50 and 159 of the Constitution, which provide for access to justice, fair hearings and the exercise of judicial authority on behalf of the people.
However, he observed that the existence of legal protections did not automatically guarantee access to justice, noting that transport costs, lack of information and delays in obtaining legal assistance continued to prevent some Kenyans from pursuing remedies.
“The courthouse doors may be open, but justice is not accessible if people cannot reach them or do not know how to enter those doors,” Kimathi said.
He welcomed the shift towards community-based legal aid, including outreach clinics, community legal aid hubs and partnerships with social justice centres, saying such initiatives would help residents obtain information and assistance closer to where they live and work.
The planned outreach activities will cover Kibera, Kawangware, Nkrumah, Makanawa, Kasarani and Kiamaiko, alongside engagements in prisons, including Industrial Area Prison, Nairobi West Prison and Lang’ata Women’s Prison.
Kimathi said legal assistance for inmates was essential because incarceration did not extinguish their dignity or their right to due process. Timely legal advice, case reviews, bail and bond assistance, and appropriate referrals could help address unresolved legal challenges.
He also called for stronger follow-up mechanisms to ensure that people seeking assistance during legal aid clinics were connected to the relevant institutions and received support beyond initial consultations.
“Legal awareness must connect people to real services. Referrals must lead to somewhere,” he said, urging justice sector institutions to document outcomes and use lessons from the outreach activities to improve future programmes.
Kimathi further urged advocates to volunteer their expertise, while calling on community leaders and members of the public to learn their rights and responsibilities and seek lawful remedies when disputes arise.
He emphasised the importance of alternative dispute resolution in suitable cases, saying not every dispute needed to proceed through litigation where lawful and appropriate alternatives could provide fair and timely solutions.
The Legal Awareness Week 2026 is being held under the theme “Community Advocates, Breaking the Gap Between the People,” with activities aimed at strengthening public legal education and improving access to justice.
The initiative brings together legal professionals, government agencies, civil society organisations, development partners and community structures to promote a more accessible and responsive justice system.
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