Hours after a section of lawyers claimed that their learned friend Cliff Ombeta is yet to be licensed to practice law, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Allen Gichuhi has come out to set the record straight.
Gichuhi has now said that the LSK recognises Ombeta as one of the licensed lawyers in the nation, adding that the claims are not only baseless but also ill-motivated.
During the murder trial of slain lawyer Willy Kimani, the lawyers claimed that Ombeta’s license had been withdrawn sometime back and he had no mandate to practice law but Gichuhi said that he had already met all the requirement to defend his clients in court cases as a licensed lawyer.
The claims came after Ombeta was directed to find another advocate to represent the suspects in the murder of Kimani after he failed to present himself in court due to an undisclosed ailment.
On July 12, 2019, Ombeta was agitated after the prosecution accused him of not being sincere when he claimed that he was not feeling well until a medical report was presented in the courtroom to prove the same.
Ombeta caused a stir when he arrived in court dressed in black sweatpants following demands that his records should be investigated with immediate effect to ascertain his claims.
Ombeta has represented different clients with high profile status including suspected drug barons such as Akasha brothers and controversial televangelist James Ng’ang’a of Neno Evangelism among others.