Advocate Ekaterina Handa has declared her candidacy for the Law Society of Kenya’s female representative on the Judicial Service Commission, placing transparency, accountability and stronger professional representation at the centre of her campaign.
Handa, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya who was admitted to the Roll of Advocates in 2007, made the announcement during an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing LSK Annual Conference in Diani.
She brings experience in legal practice, academia and alternative dispute resolution to the race and is a partner at Gitonga, Kinyanjui & Co. Advocates. She is also a legal scholar and lecturer, as well as a certified mediator and arbitrator.
Handa said her involvement in various LSK structures had given her direct insight into challenges facing advocates in their interactions with the Judiciary.
She has served in professional forums including the Commercial Practice, Continuing Professional Development and Editorial Committees, where she said she encountered concerns over registry inefficiencies, administrative bottlenecks and delays in the resolution of cases.
“I have seen what lawyers go through, particularly when they interact with the Judiciary through practice and professional committees,” Handa said.
She said the experiences had strengthened her conviction that advocates require effective and credible representation on the JSC, the constitutional body responsible for promoting and safeguarding the independence and accountability of the Judiciary.
Calls for transparency in judicial appointments
A central plank of Handa’s campaign is reform of the recruitment and appointment of judicial officers.
She has called for clearer and more objective shortlisting criteria and greater feedback to unsuccessful candidates who apply for judicial positions.
Handa said applicants should be able to understand why they were unsuccessful and identify areas where they could improve before making future applications.
“We want the Judiciary to be fairly transparent in terms of how they absorb people into the Judiciary,” she said.
She argued that greater transparency would improve confidence in the appointment process while giving qualified advocates a clearer understanding of the standards expected when seeking judicial office.
The proposed reforms come as Kenya’s legal profession continues to debate judicial efficiency, access to justice and accountability, with advocates frequently raising concerns about delays and administrative challenges within the justice system.
Stronger engagement with advocates
Handa has also pledged to establish structured channels through which LSK members can engage directly with the JSC.
Under her proposal, advocates would have opportunities to raise concerns, make recommendations and participate in discussions on issues affecting the administration of justice.
She said the LSK representative should act as a bridge between advocates and the Commission, ensuring that concerns raised by members are not only communicated but also translated into constructive institutional action.
“An effective representative should serve as a credible bridge between the legal profession and the Commission,” Handa said, outlining the role she would seek to play if elected.
Her campaign is therefore built around four broad themes: transparent judicial recruitment, stronger professional engagement, institutional accountability and a more efficient justice system.
Handa said her background across legal practice, professional committees, academia and alternative dispute resolution would position her to advocate effectively for reforms while maintaining the independence of the Judiciary.
Focus on an independent and responsive Judiciary
The forthcoming LSK contest comes amid renewed attention within the legal profession to the performance and accountability of judicial institutions and the challenges advocates face in accessing justice for their clients.
If elected, Handa said she would push for an independent, efficient, transparent and responsive Judiciary while ensuring that the concerns of advocates receive sustained attention within the JSC.
Her candidacy adds another voice to the contest for representation of female advocates on the Commission, with transparency in judicial appointments and stronger engagement between the Judiciary and the legal profession emerging as key issues in her campaign.
Handa’s campaign will now focus on mobilising support among LSK members ahead of the election, with her professional experience and proposed institutional reforms forming the core of her bid for a seat on the JSC.
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