A formal complaint has been lodged against Advocate Albert Makori, accusing him of professional misconduct and negligence in handling criminal cases No. 2543/2018 and 6898/2018 at Thika Law Courts.
According to the document in our possession, the complainants, Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Ndege, have alleged a series of unethical actions by Makori that have severely impacted their right to a fair trial.
In the letter to the Advocates Complaints Commission, the Ndege family has claimed that they had entrusted Makori with their defence against charges filed by Mrs. Elizabeth Muthoni Hussein, a former MCA of Kamenu Ward, Thika. However, the couple claims that Makori’s handling of their case was marred by deception and incompetence.
For instance, one of the primary allegations is the absence of crucial defence witnesses. According to the complaint, Makori requested and received Ksh 150,000 to facilitate the witnesses, including a private document examiner, a land buyer with legitimate documents, and other key individuals. Despite this payment, Makori allegedly failed to secure any witnesses, significantly weakening the defence case.
Further, the complaint details how Makori received additional payments to procure important documents from the land ministry and Thika municipality, as well as to conduct a land search.
Despite receiving Ksh 5,000, Ksh 6,000, and another Ksh 5,000 for these tasks, the family claims that Makori did not follow through on any of these obligations.
Moreover, Makori’s attendance at court proceedings is another point of contention. The Ndege family states that they paid an upfront fee of Ksh 70,000, with an additional Ksh 5,000 for each court appearance.
Despite these payments, Makori allegedly failed to attend several key hearings, often being unavailable by phone. Most notably, he was absent on the judgement day, leaving the elderly couple without legal representation during a critical moment in their trial.
The complaint further accuses Makori of evading communication with his clients during crucial times, including the period following the judgement. Mr. and Mrs. Ndege allege that Makori’s disappearance and subsequent refusal to answer calls left them in a vulnerable position, with Mrs. Ndege remaining in remand without adequate legal guidance.
The letter, also copied to Makori’s law firm, A.M Makori & Company Advocates, portrays a calculated effort by Makori to undermine his clients’ defence.
It suggests that Makori exploited the trust placed in him by his elderly clients, leading them to believe he was diligently working on their behalf while allegedly sabotaging their case.
All the same, due to the advocate’s mischief, the couple has been sentenced to three years in jail with no option of parole. Do you think Makori’s professional misconduct as evidenced in this story was as a result of compromise by other parties?
