Law Society of Kenya (LSK) offices were on Friday locked in what officials claim to be an action taken by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
LSK President Nelson Havi shared photos online claiming that the DCI operatives had closed the offices to hinder interviews for members of staff that were scheduled to take place.
A makeshift notice plastered on the gate read that the offices had been closed for fumigation for the remainder of the weekend.
"The LSK Secretariat Offices shall remain closed on Friday 23rd July, 2021 and Saturday 24th July, 2021 for fumigation. The office shall re-open on Monday 26th July 2021. All inconvenience caused by the closure is highly regretted," the notice read.
Disputing the closure, President Havi claimed: "The State, acting through the DCI have locked up the offices of the Law Society of Kenya to prevent recruitment of Staff."
LSK had shortlisted four candidates to interview for the position of Director, Compliance and Ethics and Director Practice Standards.
"It is notified for general information that the Council of the Law Society of Kenya will conduct interviews for the post of Director Compliance and Ethics and Director Practice Standards on 23rd July, 2021 at the Board Room of the Secretariat at Gitanga Road," the advertisement in local dailies read in part.
The interviews had been scheduled to take place between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm.
Nelson Havi versus Mercy Wambua
The development comes in the wake of a public spat between the LSK President and his CEO Mercy Wambua.
President Havi has accused the CEO and former LSK officials of embezzlement amounting to over Sh4 million.
"Sh4,937,509.75 was debited on the account of LSK on 21-1- 2019 when Isaac Okero and Faith Waigwa had ceased being President and Vice President on 24-3-2018. This explains why the two and Mercy Kalondu Wambua are determined to frustrate the conduct of a forensic audit.
"It is evident that there is an entrenched relationship between Mercy Kalondu Wambua and officers of all Banks where accounts of the LSK are domiciled. Some of the banks... are determined to contravene the law and act in cohorts with Mercy Kalondu Wambua to avoid the disclosure of statements of accounts operated by the LSK to members," Havi claimed in a series of tweets.
On her part, Wambua recorded a statement with the police accusing Havi of assault during a meeting at the society's premises.
Speaking on the assault charges, Havi dismissed the charges accusing the CEO of attempting to secretly record the meeting he was chairing at the LSK boardroom.
"Theft is theft! It is no less if committed by a woman. Mercy Wambua is shielding her principals, two immediate former Presidents of LSK from liability for plunder of hundreds of millions. Falsely shouting through paid journalists that ‘Nelson Havi assaulted me’ won’t help," he posted on his verified Twitter handle.