GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 9278

PURSUANT to section 53 (9) of the Advocates Act and Rule 12 (1) of the Advocates (Complaints Commission) Rules, 1991, it is notified for general information that from the 1st April, 2023 to 30th June, 2023, the Commission received a total of two hundred and thirty-four (234) new complaints and submitted them for enquiry under the Preliminary Enquiry Initiative. The current status of the above new complaints is as shown below: S/No. Status 1. Rejected 71 2. Undergoing Preliminary Enquiry and therefore carried over to the next quarter The total number of complaints carried over to the period under review (1st April, 2023 to 30th June, 2023) from previous quarters are three thousand nine hundred and eighty-three (3983). During the period under review, a total of fifty (50) complaints were classified and files opened. The nature of new complaints classified is as shown below: S/No. Nature of Complaints No. of Complaints 1. Failure to render professional services 15 2. Withholding funds 17 3. Failure to account 15 4. Failure to inform 2 5. Issuing dishonoured cheque 1 TOTAL 50 Complaints filed against advocates/firms of advocates were disposed of in the following manner during the period under review: i. Preliminary Enquiry (PE) complaints: Total number of complaints closed under the Preliminary Enquiry (PE) initiative were four hundred and twenty (420). ii. Classified Complaints: Total number of complaints finalised were nine (9) whose details are as follows: S/No. Action No. of Complaints 1. Abandoned 4 2. Settled 5 TOTAL 9 Pursuant to section 53 (4) and in the spirit of section 53 (5) of the Advocates Act, twenty three (23) complaints were settled amicably at the Advocates’ Complaints Commission. The matters referred to the Disciplinary Committee during the same period for further action and in accordance with section 60 (1) of the Advocates Act were nil (0). During the period under review, fourteen (14) complaints pending at the Disciplinary Committee were disposed of as follows: S/No. Action No. of Complaints 1. Settled (matter resolved) 8 2. Advocate struck off 3 3. Abated (Advocate deceased) 1 4. Matters withdrawn 2 TOTAL 14 In summary: S/No. Description No. of Complaints 1. Complaints brought forward to the period 1st April, 2023 to 30th June, 2023 from previous quarters 2. Complaints received between 1st April, 2023 to 30th June, 2023 Total Complaints for the Period Under Review 4217 3. Files disposed of during the period under review Total Pending Complaints as at 30th June, 3774 Dated the 4th July, 2023. MOSES K. CHEBOI, Chairperson, Advocates Complaints Commission.