By John Ikani
A Kenyan man accused of practising law without proper qualifications has entered a plea of not guilty in court. Identified as Brian Mwenda Njagi on the charge sheet, he faced his arraignment in Nairobi on Wednesday, following his arrest the previous day.
He stands charged with fabricating official documents for the unauthorized practice of law and identity theft. Referred to as the “fake lawyer” by local media, it is reported that he managed to secure victories in numerous legal cases despite lacking the required legal training.
However, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) contests this assertion. LSK chairman Eric Theuri stated, “To our knowledge, Mr. Mwendwa has been appearing in court for at least eight or nine months, and it’s impossible to complete that number of cases unless they are in small claims courts that are concluded within 60 days.”
The LSK further disclosed, “Our investigations show that he has a counterfeit law degree from Strathmore University and a bar admission letter with a forged signature of the late Chief Justice Evans Gicheru, who served from 2003 to 2011.”
Nevertheless, he has received praise from Kenya’s Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), hailing him as a “bright young mind” who achieved success “without conventional qualifications.” In addition, Mike Sonko, the controversial former governor of Nairobi, has expressed support for Mr. Mwenda.
Mr. Mwenda who enjoys bail since he was apprehended, steadfastly maintains his innocence and has aspirations of running for a parliamentary seat in the 2027 elections.
At the conclusion of the day’s court proceedings, he was remanded in custody until a bail hearing scheduled for Thursday.
