The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has demanded an urgent, high-level investigation into the death of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) senior legal manager Esther Wairimu Keige, warning that the killings of two advocates within a week signal an alarming assault on Kenya’s justice system.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, LSK President Charles Kanjama said the legal fraternity had received confirmation of Keige’s death with profound sorrow after weeks of hoping she would be found alive.
“The Law Society of Kenya has received confirmation of the death of our colleague, Advocate Esther Wairimu Keige, after weeks of anxious searching and fervent hope that she would be found alive,” Kanjama stated.
Kanjama extended condolences to Keige’s family, colleagues at the Kenya Forest Service and members of the legal profession.
The LSK president linked Keige’s death to the recent killing of advocate Edward Muthee Kariuki, who was fatally shot in Athi River just days earlier, describing the two incidents as more than isolated crimes.
“This unspeakable atrocity comes an agonisingly brief forty-eight hours after the legal fraternity was thrown into deep mourning following the brutal assassination of Advocate Edward Muthee Kariuki in Athi River,” Kanjama said.
He added:
“The targeted, calculated extermination of two distinguished ministers of justice within a single week is not a statistical coincidence; it is a declaration of war against the rule of law, an explicit attempt to terrorise the Bar and a terrifying indicator that Kenya is rapidly descending into an era of unchecked criminality and institutional collapse.”
The remarks mark one of the strongest responses yet from the legal fraternity following the deaths of the two advocates.
LSK’s three demands
The Law Society outlined three immediate demands it wants the government to implement as investigations into Keige’s death begin.
1. High-level joint investigation
LSK called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Police Service Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) to establish an independent multi-agency homicide team to investigate both killings.
The society said investigators should not only pursue the individuals who carried out the crimes but also identify those who may have planned, financed or benefited from them.
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3. Security for public sector advocates
LSK further urged the government to strengthen security for lawyers serving in public institutions.
The society argued that advocates working in regulatory agencies often face pressure and threats while handling matters involving public assets, corruption and land disputes.
“The Executive must immediately provide institutional security and protective coverage for all advocates serving in public regulatory bodies who face illicit pressure and structural threats while defending public assets from corruption.”
Law Society of Kenya issues 3 demands to govt after missing KFS legal officer is found dead
