Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Faith Odhiambo has said women in the legal profession have made significant progress in leadership, but continue to face deep-rooted challenges including sexual harassment, unequal pay and limited access to equity partnerships.
Odhiambo said the growing number of women seeking leadership positions at both branch and national levels was a positive sign that female leadership was increasingly being accepted within the legal profession.
She noted that more young female lawyers were now willing to contest leadership positions and participate in elections, a shift she described as encouraging compared to previous years when women were less visible in the profession’s leadership structures.
“There has been better reception of female leadership,” said the former LSK President, noting the increasing number of women seeking positions from branch level to the national leadership of the LSK.
She, however, said significant gaps remained, particularly in the handling of sexual harassment and the advancement of women within law firms.
According to the Ex LSK President, women need greater opportunities to establish their own law firms, become partners and, more importantly, access equity partnerships that give them a meaningful stake in the ownership and decision-making of firms.
She said women should not only occupy salaried partnership positions but should also be given opportunities to rise into strategic and equity positions within law firms.
Despite the challenges, Faith expressed optimism over the progress made by women in the profession, pointing to the growing number of women attaining senior positions.
She noted that the latest cohort of Senior Counsel included the highest number of women admitted to the rank, which she said demonstrated the profession’s growing recognition of women who had made significant contributions to the legal sector.
Faith Odhiambo, who became the second woman to serve as LSK president, also cited the growing number of women leading LSK branches and chapters as evidence of changing attitudes towards female leadership.
She said women were increasingly being judged on their ability to perform and serve members rather than on their gender.
The former LSK president also pointed to progress within the Judiciary, where more women have been recruited and promoted through the ranks.
She expressed hope that the growing number of female lawyers would eventually translate into greater representation among High Court and Court of Appeal judges and, ultimately, achieve gender parity at the Supreme Court.
She said women in the legal profession continue to face standards that are often higher than those imposed on their male counterparts.
She said young women seeking employment can face discrimination arising from assumptions about their future family responsibilities, including pregnancy and maternity leave.
According to her, some employers view maternity leave as a disadvantage when considering female employees, creating an additional barrier for women seeking to advance their careers.
She said women were also frequently expected to prove themselves more than men before being considered capable of taking on demanding roles.
“There is an expectation that you must prove yourself higher,” she said, citing questions about whether a woman would be tough enough, capable enough and able to balance the different responsibilities associated with leadership and professional life.
The former LSK president also raised concerns over disparities in remuneration between male and female lawyers with similar qualifications and years of experience.
She said differences in how the value and capability of female lawyers are perceived could contribute to more men advancing into partnership positions than women.
Reflecting on her own experience as LSK president, Odhiambo said one of the challenges she faced was the acceptance of a woman, particularly a younger woman, occupying the highest elected position in the legal profession.
She said she had to navigate expectations surrounding age, seniority and leadership while simultaneously balancing the LSK’s responsibilities to its members and its broader public-interest mandate.
Her tenure also coincided with a period of intense political and constitutional debate in Kenya, including concerns over the independence of the Judiciary, the right to peaceful protest and arrests and prosecutions arising from public demonstrations.
She cited the 2024 Gen Z protests, including the occupation of Parliament by demonstrators, as part of the broader challenges that confronted the country and the legal profession.
She said the LSK was required to play its role in defending the rule of law, constitutional rights and democratic principles during a period when those values were under intense public scrutiny.
According to the former LSK President, the experience demonstrated that leading the country’s largest professional body for lawyers goes beyond representing its members.
It also involves taking a position on issues affecting the public, constitutionalism, democracy and the rule of law.
While acknowledging the challenges that remain for women in the legal profession, Odhiambo said the increasing acceptance of female leadership offered reason for optimism.
She said the growing number of women contesting leadership positions, attaining senior ranks and taking up positions within the Judiciary showed that the profession was gradually changing.
The challenge, she added, is to ensure that the progress translates into equal opportunities, fair remuneration, greater representation in law firm ownership and stronger protection against discrimination and sexual harassment.
