Election campaigns for key posts at the Law Society of Kenya have shifted into high gear, with nominations set for early this month and vote in February 22 next year.
The election will see a new council elected by lawyers to replace the current team led by president Eric Theuri whose two-year term is ending.
Faith Odhiambo, who is serving as Theuri's deputy, is running to replace him.
She is battling for the seat with society's former vice president Caroline Kamende as well as current council member Njoki Mboce, former council member Berhard Ng'etich and city lawyer Peter Wanyama.
Besides the seat of presidency and vice presidency, other seats up for grabs are the council membership seats and those representing the regions at the national council.
Also to be conducted on February 22 is the vote for the male representative to the powerful Judicial Service Commission as the term for current representative Macharia Njeru is expiring in May.
Theuri is seeking to replace Njeru, and he is fighting it out with Omwanza Ombati.
Theuri explained to the Star that the elections for all the seats including the JSC representative will be conducted together to make it cost effective and convenient for advocates.
Explaining why the vote for the representative was being carried out three months to the expiry of the term of the current occupant of the seat, he said it was a safe decision in law as it is allowed if the duration between the date of the poll and sunset of the term does not exceed three months.
“The law allows that if the date of the vote and the time the term is expiring are not separated by not more than three months then a vote can be done and the emerging winner wait for the balance of time to ascend to the office,” Theuri said.
Vying candidates have been silently traversing the country across the regions meeting the lawyers to ask for their vote. Odhiambo was in Kisii and Nyamira region as well as Mt Kenya meeting the advocates, just like Theuri.
Kamende has also been meeting various groups of advocates. Ombati has also been meeting advocates at specially planned events.
For example, over weekend, he attended the Western region's jurists annual dinner and dance to fraternise with colleagues as he asked for their votes.
Young lawyers will form the key constituency at the polls with each candidate tailoring their messaging to reach and swing them their way.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has admitted in excess of 2,500 young advocates to the bar this year alone, making them a potent voting bloc that will no doubt tilt the scale.
