LSK North Rift Demands Independent Probe Into Alleged Police Assault on Advocate in Tinderet
“This was a deliberate abuse of police power and a direct attack on the administration of justice,” said LSK North Rift Branch Chairman Oscar Oduor.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) North Rift Region has demanded an immediate and independent investigation into police officers accused of violently assaulting Advocate Moses K. Rotich while he was lawfully executing his duties in Tinderet, Nandi County.
Addressing the media at the Eldoret High Court, LSK North Rift Branch officials said the incident occurred yesterday when Advocate Rotich was presenting and serving a valid court order in a civil matter, only to be blocked and allegedly assaulted by officers from Tinderet Police Station.
LSK said the advocate sustained serious injuries to his eyes and other parts of his body following what it described as an unprovoked and unlawful attack.
“This was a deliberate abuse of police power and a direct attack on the administration of justice,” said LSK North Rift Branch Chairman Oscar Oduor. “We are demanding an independent investigation, and all officers found culpable must be held personally and professionally accountable.”
The society also condemned what it termed an attempt to criminalize the advocate through alleged trumped-up charges, including unlawful assembly, resisting arrest, and obstructing a police officer—charges that were intended to be presented before the Tinderet Law Courts.
“We commend the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for declining to approve the charge sheet,” Oduor said. “That decision reaffirmed the independence of the ODPP and prevented the misuse of the criminal justice system to shield police misconduct.”
LSK North Rift announced it will formally report the matter to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) for investigations and appropriate action. The branch also said it will pursue constitutional, civil, and criminal accountability against all individuals involved, including any third parties who may have instigated the assault.
Further, the society said it will engage the National Police Service leadership and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to ensure advocates are protected while carrying out court-sanctioned duties and to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.
“An attack on an advocate in the lawful execution of duty is an attack on the justice system itself,” Oduor said. “Court orders are not optional, and advocates are officers of the court entitled to protection under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.”
LSK North Rift warned that it will not stand by as its members are brutalized, intimidated, or criminalized for doing their work, vowing to defend the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law without fear or favour.
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