Babu Owino Introduces Bill to Devolve Advocates Training Programme
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has introduced a new bill that would allow educational institutions other than the Kenya School of Law (KSL) to offer the Advocates Training Program. This would give the Council of Legal Education (CLE) more power.
Babu’s rationale for this initiative is the necessity to decentralize this service in response to the growing number of law students in the country.
During his appearance before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Babu pointed out that the number of higher education institutions offering LLB degrees in Kenya has surged in recent years.
This surge has placed considerable strain on the resources and capacity of the Kenya School of Law’s Karen Campus, ultimately affecting the quality of training due to the high student-teacher ratio.
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Babu Owino’s proposal also seeks to empower the CLE to establish admission requirements for individuals aspiring to enroll in legal education programs through regulatory means.
The current conflicts between the Kenya School of Law (KSL) Act and the Council for Legal Education (CLE) Act, which have resulted in instances of discriminatory admission based on high school grades, are the driving force behind this action.
Notably, Babu is not the sole legislator advocating for changes to the operation of KSL.
Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina has introduced a separate bill, the Kenya School of Law (Amendment) Bill 2023, which aims to admit students who meet the minimum entry requirements for a Diploma in Law, regardless of their prior academic qualifications.
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Njeri’s bill also strives to allow students with a Diploma in Law from various recognized institutions in Kenya to gain admission, a move intended to streamline the training of legal students after years of calls for reform by multiple stakeholders.
Babu Owino Introduces Bill to Devolve Advocates Training Programme
