Kenyan lawyers down tools in protest over killing of colleague

Thousands of Kenyan lawyers on Monday began a five-day boycott of court proceedings in protest over the killing of a colleague whose body was discovered last week in a river southeast of the capital, Nairobi.

The bodies of the lawyer, his client and his taxi driver were found mutilated, sparking outrage among lawyers and rights groups.

Beside downing tools, the legal fraternity held peaceful countrywide demonstrations to press for speedy prosecution of suspects involved in the murder of the trio.

The chairman of the Law Society of Kenya, Isaac Okero, said the week-long strike was aimed at pushing for a quick solution to the mysterious disappearance and murder of the 31-year-old advocate, Willy Kimani.

The father of one, his client and his taxi driver were abducted by unknown people on June 23 after attending a court session in a small town located 30 km southeast of Nairobi.

Kimani's client, who was a motorcycle rider, had earlier complained about harassment from an administration police officer.

Both the law society of Kenya and right groups alleged the police officer could have been involved in the abduction and the murder of the trio.

Kenya's police boss on Saturday named three officers as prime suspects in the bizarre murder.

As the lawyers kicked off the countrywide protests, government officials said investigations were underway to identify and prosecute culprits.

Detectives on June 2 visited the site where the mutilated bodies were discovered to collect forensic evidence.

Likewise, a post-mortem on the deceased was conducted Monday and its findings will later be presented to detectives for analysis. Endit