In Focus: Mount Kenya University (MKU) Dragged In Advocates Training Standoff

In a case before the legal education appeals tribunal, Mr Antony Waziri Kitsao is putting up a fight against Kenya School of Law(KSL) and Council of Legal Education having been denied admission to the advocates training program. This is despite having acquired a law degree from the Mount Kenya University.

The legal body argues that despite having been admitted into the program by the university, he didn’t meet the requirements for admission to KSL from which he needs the accreditation to practice law in Kenya.

This has left the student baffled by how MKU could’ve allowed him to spend a lot of money in his education if they knew he couldn’t be admitted to the required training advocates program.

Kitsao filed this appeal against the decisions of the Director of Kenya School of Law issued on 4th January 2023 and 10th January 2023 seeking an order compelling KSL to admit him to the Advocates Training Programme.

According to his appeal, Kitsao sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination and attained a Mean Grade of B- (Minus).The Appellant also scored a B – (Minus) in English and a C + in Kiswahili. He thereafter pursued a degree in law from Mount Kenya University.

KSL.

In response, KSL states that upon the Appellant making his applications to the Advocates Training Programme, he did not meet the eligibility criteria as provided for under Section 16.

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That Section 16 of the Kenya School of Law Act2012, as read with Paragraph 1 of the Second Schedule provides the requirement for admission to the Advocates Training Programme is a mean grade of C+ (plus) in KCSE with a grade B (plain) in English or Kiswahili languages which the Appellant did not have.

Further, KSL states that Kitsao is relying on academic progression to be admitted to Advocates Training Programme, yet the Kenya School of Law Act 2012 does not have a provision for academic progression.