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 |
|
|
|
iii) |
Riara
University |
Mbagathi
Rd Campus |
05.07.2012 |
|
|
iv) |
Kisii
University College |
Kisii
Main Campus |
|
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
|
(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
- 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 consciousness, analytical 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.