THE LEGAL AID ACT No. 6 of 2016
THE LEGAL AID ACT, 2016
AN ACT of Parliament to give effect to Articles 19 (2), 48, 50 (2) (g) and (h) of the Constitution to facilitate access to justice and social justice; to establish the National Legal Aid Service; to provide for legal aid, and for the funding of legal aid and for connected purposes
ENACTED by the Parliament of Kenya, as follows—
PART I—PRELIMINARY
1.This Act may be cited as the Legal Aid Act, 2016. Short title.
2.In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— Interpretation.
“accredited paralegal” means a person accredited by the service to provide paralegal services under the supervision of an advocate or an accredited legal aid provider;
“advocate” has the meaning assigned thereto in the Advocates Act;
“aided person” means a person who is granted legal aid under this Act and includes-
(i)a person who is granted legal aid on an interim basis; and
(ii)a person whose grant of legal aid has been withdrawn under section 52;
“alternative dispute resolution” means settling a dispute by means other than through the court process and includes negotiation, mediation, arbitration, conciliation and the use of informal dispute resolution mechanisms;
“applicant” means a person who makes an application for legal aid pursuant to this Act or on whose behalf such an application is made;
“Board” means the board established under section 9;
“Cabinet Secretary” means the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to justice;
“chairperson” means the chairperson of the Board appointed under section 9;
“child” has the meaning assigned to it under article 260 of the Constitution;