Law Career in Kenya: What to Know

Law Career in Kenya


Law degree is mighty. Law degree is rewarding and one of the few careers with numerous job opportunities, but before you smile about this statement, let’s discuss facts.

For you to pursue a degree in Law as a self-sponsored student, you have to score at least a B+ grade in KCSE and B plain in English language. Parallel students require at least a C+ in KCSE general grade and a C+ in English.

Before you join college for a Law degree, you should know that not all universities are accredited to offer a degree/diploma in Law. Because your degree can be useless if you don’t enroll for this course at an accredited university, it’s wise to confirm which universities are accredited to offer a law degree program. Below we present a list of universities accredited by the Council of Legal Education and those which have not qualified to offer the Law program.

1.     Institutions fully accredited to offer Degree (LLB) programmes     

 

Name of Institution

Campus

Date of accreditation

i)

Kenyatta University

Parklands Campus

29.02.2012

ii)

Strathmore University

Madaraka Campus

08.03.2012

iii)

Riara University

Mbagathi Rd Campus

05.07.2012

iv)

Kisii University College

Kisii Main Campus

10.09.201

 

1.     Institutions fully accredited to offer Degree (LLB) programmes

Name of Institution

Campus

Date of accreditation

Kisii University College

 

Kisii Main Campus

10.09.2012

 

1.     PROVISIONALLY ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS

The following institutions were evaluated for Interim Accreditation and are currently undergoing the process of Full Accreditation.  The institutions were given a specified period of time within which to apply for full accreditation.

(a)      Institutions approved to offer Degree (LLB) programme

 

Name of Institution

Campus

Date of accreditation

i)

University of Nairobi

Parklands Campus

26.03.2010

ii)

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Karen Campus

29.03.2010

iii)

University of Nairobi

Mombasa Campus

20.04.2010

iv)

University of Nairobi

Kisumu Campus

29.06.2011

v)

Mount Kenya University

Nairobi Campus

29.06.2011

vi)

Catholic University of East Africa

Karen Campus

29.06.2012

vii)

African Nazarene University

Ngong Campus

29.06.2011

viii)

Kabarak University

Kabarak Campus

09.09.2011

 

(b)      Institutions approved to offer Diploma in Law Programme

Name of Institution

Campus

Date of accreditation

(i) Kenya School of Law (Paralegal Programme)

Karen Campus

19.09.2011

(ii) Inoorero University

Parklands Campus

06.04.2011

(iii) Nairobi Institute of Business Studies

Nairobi Campus

08.09.2011

(c)        Institution approved to offer Post Graduate Diploma in Law

 Name of Institution

Campus

Date of accreditation

(i) Kenya School of Law (Advocates Training Karen Campus Programme)

Karen Campus

19.09.2011

(d)       Institutions approved to offer Professional Certifcate Courses

Name of Institution

Campus

Date of accreditation

(i)   Kenya   School   of   Law      (Continuing Professional Development)

Karen Campus

19.09.2011

(e) Institutions under Review of Accreditation Status

Whereas the following institutions had initially been granted Provisional Accreditation to offer law programmes, the accreditation is under review for non-compliance.

Name of Institution

1.     i)              Moi University

(ii)            Presbyterian University of Eastern Africa

III.       NOT YET ACCREDITED INSTITUTION

Although the Council of Legal Education has engaged with some of the following institutions, neither Provisional or Full accreditation has been granted. The public, parents and students are therefore cautioned against dealing with these institutions in any way to indicate that their programmes are recognized by the Council of Legal Education:

Name of the unaccredited Institutions

1.     i)                Bondo University College

2.     ii)              Chuka College

iii)             Elgon View College

1.     iv)             Pioneer College

2.     v)              Nairobi Aviation College

3.     vi)             Kiriri Women University

vii)            Foundation Institute of Africa Limited

viii)           MIS Centre, College of Management

1.     ix)             KCA University

2.     x)              Leader Institute

3.     xi)             Inoorero University

Having known about the list above, we also reveal the approximate fees needed for you to complete a degree in Law and a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.If you join the University of Nairobi, you will be required to have at least Ksh 1000,000 for the entire course. Other universities, which include Mount Kenya University, Catholic University, and Kabarak University will charge you between Ksh 100,000 to Ksh 200,000 per semester.

After you have completed your Law degree, you need to join the Kenya School of Law for a diploma course in Law. At KSL,the syllabus and exams are hell on earth. In fact, a degree program is easier than a diploma course at Kenya School of Law.

After completing your course at KSL,you will be admitted as an Advocate of the High Court. After admission to the bar, that’s when you are allowed to practice law.

How to Become a Lawyer


To fulfill the requirements of becoming a lawyer, you have to follow this procedure;

  • Completing your Secondary school education

This is the first step of becoming a lawyer. The minimum grade required to pursue a law degree is B plain with C+ in English for private sponsored students and A- (minus).

  • Enrolling for a law degree

At this step, you can enroll as a privately sponsored student or as a regular student sponsored by the government. It can be quite tough during course selection for government-sponsored students because the course is quite competitive. The course takes 5 years after which you go to the next step.

  • Join Kenya School of Law for a Diploma in Law

Once you complete your degree course, you are supposed to join the Kenya School of law for a Diploma course failure to which you won’t be allowed to practice law. This course takes one year.

  • Admission to the bar

This is the final step. After graduating from Kenya School of Law, you will be issued with a certificate of practice after which you become an advocate of the High Court.

Lawyer’s key skills

Communication skills, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, time consciousnessanalytical skills among others.

What does a lawyer do?

Lawyers are tasked with offering legal advice to clients as well as representing them in legal matters,

Job opportunities

Lawyers are employed by the government in different departments or state agencies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, banking institutions, law firm, and advocacy institutions among others.

Salaries of Lawyers in Kenya

Once you become a lawyer, then you are allowed to look for greener pastures. As a lawyer, you can decide to do private practice, work for a law firm, become a company lawyer or work for the government. Though options are there, it’s always advisable to work for a law firm for two years before you start your own firm as this will ensure you know how to handle cases, from the least challenging cases to the high voltage ones. Thereafter, you will do private practice.

The average monthly salary of a lawyer in Kenya is Ksh 103,000 for government employees and Ksh 135,000 for company lawyers. Those in private practice can make up to Ksh10 million per month or as little as Ksh 20,000 per month depending on the cases they handle.


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