COTU defends fake advocate, cites lack of recognition of Principle of Prior Learning

Duncan Mwirigi October 13, 2023Last Updated: October 13, 2023

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Brian Mwenda Njagi. He is accused of exercising the law profession without qualification

Central Organization of Trade Union (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli is the latest leader to appear in public defense of Imposter advocate Brian Mwenda Njagi who has been falsely presenting himself as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a member of the Nairobi branch.

The fake advocate was arrested after Rapid Action Team (RAT) received complaints from members of public about his fraudulent activities.

In a press release, Atwoli criticized those condemning Njagi citing lack of recognition of individuals who have acquired knowledge, skills and competencies through non-traditional learning pathways by the Law Society of Kenya.

“If, indeed, it’s true that Brian has been practicing law and successfully representing clients in legal matters, we strongly advocate for a fair and transparent examination to test his knowledge, skills and competences in the field of law,” read the statement in part.

Atwoli further lamented lack of actualization of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a mechanism for recognition of diverse learning pathways of talented individuals who suffer for lack of papers to show their qualification.

“COTU calls upon the government to actualize RPL in Kenya in order to identify the vast learning pathways of our citizens and for harnessing the untapped talents that can drive our nation forward,” the statement continued.

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko also vowed to support Njagi enroll for a law course saying he has proven his intelligence having won 26 cases before Magistrates, High Court judges and Court of Appeal judges.

“I will bail him out and sponsor him at Kenya School of Law. This man has been masquerading as an advocate. He never went to any law school and KSL,” Sonko wrote on facebook.

Lawyer Linda Kiome called called on advocates to take a collective responsibility in fishing out masqueraders in the law profession without fear of intimidation.

“Every day we shall face a brighter/sharper conniving “Brian” in the profession, every day we shall rise more energized to extract such characters from our profession,” wrote Ms Kiome on Facebook.