The Advocates Complaints Commission received 416 new complaints against lawyers and law firms between July 1 and September 30, 2026, with withholding clients’ funds emerging as the leading grievance, according to its latest quarterly report.
These figures appear in the commission’s 143rd Quarterly Report, published in the Kenya Gazette, Vol. CXXVIII—No. 194, on November 6, 2026, under Gazette Notice No. 17640.
Of the 416 complaints received during the three-month period, 94 were rejected, while 322 remained under preliminary enquiry and were carried forward to the next quarter.
Further, the Commission also reported that 3,331 complaints from previous quarters were brought forward into the period under review, bringing the total number of complaints handled to 3,747.
This report stated that the Commission submitted the new complaints for examination under the Preliminary Enquiry initiative.
“The Commission received a total of four hundred and fifteen (416) new complaints and submitted them for enquiry under the Preliminary Enquiry initiative.”
Withholding Client Funds Tops Complaints Against Lawyers
The Commission classified 147 complaints and opened files for further action during the reporting period. Withholding funds accounted for the highest number, with 76 complaints.
Failure to account for clients’ money was the second most common grievance, attracting 32 complaints, while 21 cases involved failure to render professional services.
Seven complaints concerned failure to inform clients, while five involved allegations of failure to act with integrity. Overcharging accounted for four complaints and withholding clients’ documents recorded two cases.
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The breakdown showed that complaints involving clients’ money, including withholding funds and failure to account, accounted for 108 of the 147 classified complaints.
The nature of the complaints listed by the commission in its quarterly report is as follows:
| Nature of complaint | Number |
| Withholding funds | 76 |
| Failure to account | 32 |
| Failure to render professional services | 21 |
| Failure to inform client | 7 |
| Failure to act with integrity | 5 |
| Overcharging | 4 |
| Withholding clients’ documents | 2 |
| Total | 147 |
Commission Recovers KSh23.1 Million for Complainants
The commission also disclosed that it facilitated the recovery and payment of KSh23,113,836 to complainants while handling disputes during the three-month period.
A total of 196 complaints were closed under the Preliminary Enquiry initiative. Separately, 118 classified complaints were finalised through different actions, including settlements, rejections, withdrawals and referrals to court.
Of the 118 finalised complaints, 69 were settled, 23 were rejected, 12 were withdrawn, 7 were abandoned, 3 were abated, and 4 were referred to court.
The report further indicated that the commission facilitated amicable settlements in 21 complaints under the provisions of the Advocates Act.
“Twenty-one (21) complaints were settled amicably.”
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The recovery of KSh23.1 million formed part of the commission’s efforts to resolve disputes between advocates and their clients during the reporting period.
47 Complaints Referred to Disciplinary Committee
Beyond handling complaints through preliminary enquiries and settlements, the commission referred 47 matters to the Disciplinary Committee for further action under Section 60(1) of the Advocates Act.
The report disclosed that the commission took disciplinary action against two advocates during the period, removing one from the Roll of Advocates and suspending another from practising.
“One advocate was struck off the Roll of Advocates and another suspended from practising during the period under review.”
The commission’s quarterly summary showed that it started the period with 3,331 complaints carried forward from previous quarters before receiving another 416 complaints.
This brought the total number of complaints under consideration to 3,747. After disposing of 314 files during the three months, the Commission reported 3,433 pending complaints as at September 30, 2026.
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