The national government through the Office of the Attorney General has established the National Legal Aid Service (NLAS) programme to provide free legal aid for vulnerable communities.
Attorney General (AG) Dorcas Oduor said that the initiative aims to make legal assistance more accessible, affordable, and approachable.
She said the programme would also empower individuals to overcome the barriers that frequently prevented people from seeking help towards accessing justice due to their financial vulnerability.
Speaking at Othoo SDA church in Nyando Constituency, Kisumu County, during a church empowerment programme, Oduor said the move emphasized the governments’ commitment to ensuring equal access to legal assistance for all citizens.
“Justice must not be treated as a privilege but as a human right enshrined in the Constitution. No one should be denied justice because they cannot afford it,” Oduor stressed.
She said the government intended to support all underserved communities and indigent people, including children, women and widows, to get expeditious justice in their civil and criminal cases in courts.
“We are operationalizing free legal aid in Kenya. In three months’ time, NLAS will start supporting the women and the widows who cannot afford legal aid,” said the AG.
Oduor expressed concern over the increasing number of criminal cases involving children in the country in the recent past.
“We are going to support the youth and children in conflict with the law. We will support them through the judicial system for free,” She said.
The government will also extend support to individuals who cannot afford legal representation in land disputes, Oduor added.
“We are also going to support those facing land dispute cases but are unable to afford advocates. We will support you at no cost,” she stated.
The NLAS provides free legal assistance to marginalized individuals, covering a wide range of cases including civil, criminal, child-related matters, constitutional issues, and public interest litigation.
The programme also conducts community outreach clinics to bring legal assistance closer to the people, ensuring easier access to support services.
By Robert Ojwang’
