NAIROBI, Kenya, July 10- Lawyers have held the annual Purple Ribbon March in Nairobi to demand justice for two colleagues whose deaths have shaken the legal fraternity and renewed concerns over the safety of advocates.
The procession, organized by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), was held in honour of advocate Edward Muthee Kariuki and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Services Manager Esther Wairimu Keige, whose deaths are currently under investigation.
The annual march is a symbolic protest against attacks, enforced disappearances and killings targeting members of the legal profession. Participants wore purple ribbons as a sign of remembrance, solidarity and their collective call for justice and accountability.
As is tradition, advocates suspended court appearances to participate in the peaceful procession, which began at the Milimani Law Courts before making its way to Vigilance House, the National Police Service headquarters, where they presented a petition to the Inspector General of Police.
In the petition, the lawyers called for speedy investigations into attacks against advocates, enhanced security measures and the prosecution of those responsible.
“We will not be silenced,” read one of the messages displayed during the march.
The demonstration comes days after the deaths of Kariuki and Keige, incidents that have sparked outrage within the legal fraternity.
Kariuki was found dead outside his residence in Athi River, Machakos County, on July 5 after his body was dumped near the home under circumstances that remain unclear.
Keige’s body was recovered a day later in a coffee plantation in Karimenu, Juja, Kiambu County, nearly a month after she disappeared on June 10 shortly after leaving her office along Kiambu Road.
A postmortem examination conducted on Keige’s body failed to establish the cause of death because of the advanced state of decomposition.
Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor said there were no visible injuries on the body, although samples had been collected for toxicological analysis to determine the cause of death.
“The cause of death was not conclusive,” Oduor said after conducting the examination at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital.
Meanwhile, detectives investigating Kariuki’s killing are analysing his phone records to reconstruct his final movements as they pursue those behind the murder.
The 33-year-old advocate, who ran Edward Kariuki Law Firm along Kiambu Road, was found unresponsive after a security guard raised the alarm, prompting police and crime scene investigators to launch a homicide investigation.
The two deaths have intensified calls from lawyers for greater protection of advocates and swift action against those responsible, with the LSK maintaining that attacks on legal practitioners undermine the rule of law and the administration of justice.
