NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 30 –  On Friday night all the brightest legal minds met in Nairobi for a night of celebration in a black tie event. 

Of course, all of the fun began on the red carpet – the walkway of the stunning. When it’s time to make a statement, big or small, this is the place to do it, and it did not disappoint.

Hundreds turned up for the event as the ballroom was filled to capacity, to celebrate the honourees of the fourth edition of Nairobi Legal Awards (NLA),   resplendent in their dinner attire. 

Among those in attendance included Chief Administrative Secretary-Gender

Ministry of Public Service & Gender Beatrice Elachi ;Commissioner, Corporate Support Services Department Kenya Revenue Authority David Kinuu and Lady Justice Lydia Achode Principal Judge of the High Court who was the Keynote Speaker. 

The honourees were selected from a list of nominees submitted from Nairobi and Kiambu Counties and after competitive and rigorous vetting, the Jury submitted a list of 39 winners. 

Notably the participation of  women in the awards was low as men dominated. 

Senior Counsel Beauttah Siganga who chairs the Jury at NLA said, they received a low number of female nominees. 

“We urge women to step up and submit their names for nomination,” he said. 

Lady Justice Lydia Achode paid a glowing tribute to the honourees saying they had set a precedent in the legal sector. She urged for professional ethics to be upheld by the industry. 

She also urged lawyers  to resolve the case backlog that hampers the delivery of Justice. 

“Ensure that you abandon the age old practices of unnecessary adjournment that delay the hearing of cases. Focus on the merit of cases rather than unnecessary interlocutory and technical applications that have contributed to the delay in delivery of justice. Embrace the multi-door approach to the delivery of justice as well as alternative justice systems and alternative dispute resolution in addressing societal grievances,” she added. 

The event, themed “The Phoenix Edition’ , comes at a time when the country is recovering from the negative effects of Covid-19 that saw a number of members of the legal fraternity lose their lives. 

A moment of celebration, where the crowd clapped and cheered was held to pay homage to their fallen colleagues. 

On her part, CAS for Gender in the  Ministry of Public Service Beatrice Elachi noted that Covid-19 pandemic came with some wins. 

“Today an advocate can attend several court sessions on the same day without moving from their chambers. This means that courts across the country are able to handle and complete cases faster as more advocates are easily available unlike previously when an advocate could only be accessible to handle cases in one station at a time,” Elachi elaborated. 

The event lived up to its billing with compliments, hearty laughs and dance. 

As the night whiled away, we were left to wonder how this phoenix will rise from the ashes. 

The yearly awards are organised by the Law Society of Kenya, Nairobi Branch.