Reuben Kigame questions low turnout in LSK polls

A well‑known Kenyan lawyer and gospel musician Dr Reuben Kigame, has raised concern over the low voter turnout in the recent Law Society of Kenya (LSK) elections, even as Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama was elected president.

LSK is the statutory body that represents advocates in Kenya.

According to official results, Kanjama won the presidency with 3,728 votes, defeating fellow advocates Peter Wanyama (2,616) and Mwaura Kabata (2,086).

Despite the strong interest in the leadership race, Dr Kigame and other commentators noted that voter participation was far below the number of eligible lawyers.

Records show LSK has about 26,000 registered members, but only around 8,600 advocates cast ballots in Thursday’s elections.

“I am glad that a candidate who shares my philosophy of human dignity, justice, values and the rule of law won,” Kigame said.

“But there is a big problem. How come nearly 18,000 advocates did not participate?”

Critics of the turnout have questioned whether the current electoral system is appropriate for members who are often busy professionals.

Peter Wanyama, another presidential candidate, described the figures as reflective of deeper disengagement within the legal fraternity and called for honest introspection.

Kigame suggested exploring digital or alternative voting methods, including block‑chain technology, to make it easier for advocates to vote from wherever they are.

“Is it too difficult to digitise an election involving 26,000 people so that they have the convenience of voting from wherever they may be?” he asked.

The turnout figures have reignited debate on how LSK conducts its internal elections and whether the process should be modernised to encourage wider participation among lawyers.

Voting by Blockchain – Explained

1. What is blockchain?

Blockchain is like a digital notebook that everyone can see but nobody can secretly change.

Each page records information (like transactions or votes) and is connected to the previous page, making it almost impossible to tamper with.

2. How does blockchain voting work?

Each voter gets a digital ID to prove they are allowed to vote.

When you cast your vote, it’s encrypted and added to the blockchain.

Once your vote is on the blockchain, it cannot be changed or deleted.

Everyone can check that votes are counted correctly without seeing who voted for whom.

3. Why is it safe?

Because blockchain is decentralised (stored on many computers) and encrypted, no single person or organisation can cheat or change the results.

4. Why is it convenient?

Lawyers or anyone busy could vote from their phone or computer, anywhere in the world, instead of physically going to a polling station.

5. Example:

Imagine a ballot box that everyone can see, but once you drop your vote in, no one can change it, and you can check that your vote was counted.

That’s basically what blockchain voting does--digitally and securely.