Desmond Odhiambo

Desmond started as a Trainee Lawyer at a firm in Kenya and was later appointed as an Associate. He subsequently joined another firm where he remained as a Partner in the Dispute Resolution practice until October 2017. Desmond joined Kieti in 2017.

• Advising a large retail supermarket chain on a debt restructuring plan that culminated in a Company Voluntary Arrangement (“CVA”) with hundreds of creditors.

• Advising a leading food services franchisee on an appropriate business rescue mechanism under the Insolvency Act 2015. 

• Successfully restraining the government from demolishing an estate of luxurious apartments along the coastal line of Mombasa worth KES 2 Billion.

• Successfully defending a mortgage finance company in a claim for an alleged breach of undertaking worth KES 200 Million.

• Successfully defending a commercial bank against a claim for shares worth KES 120 Million under an Employee Share Ownership Scheme (ESOP).

• Successfully defending an international charitable organisation in a construction dispute worth KES 78 Million.

• Acting for an estate worth KES 15 Billion in a landmark succession case at the Court of Appeal on whether estoppel can override statutory provisions on inheritance.

• Advising various USAID funded projects on employment regulations, redundancies and drafting employment agreements.

• Undertaking a wide range of commercial litigation in relation to guarantees, judicial review of government actions, winding up of companies and enforcement of securities.

• Chambers Global 2026 ranked Desmond in Band 4 for Dispute Resolution. 
• Chambers Global 2026 ranked Desmond in Band 3 for Employment. 
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2025 mentioned Desmond for Employment.
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 recommended Desmond for dispute resolution.