Studying law in Kenya: law degree requirements in Kenya

Last updated on July 26th, 2023 at 01:59 pm

If you want to study law, here are the law degree requirements in Kenya (KCSE):

Law degree requirements in Kenya / Requirements for law school in Kenya

To be considered for admission into a law degree in Kenya (Bachelor of Laws) you must meet the following minimum academic requirements:

Requirements for law school in Kenya

• Have a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(K.C.S.E.) mean grade of C+ (C plus) or equivalent OR
• Have a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(K.C.S.E.) mean grade of C plain or equivalent plus a relevant diploma qualification from a recognized institution (you must have scored a distinction/credit pass) in the Diploma. In addition, the diploma must have lasted not less than 2 years OR
• Have a Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE) with two principal passes- Principal A, B, or C-(at least)- or equivalent qualification OR
• Hold a relevant degree (or degrees) from an accredited University AND at least a mean grade of B (B Plain) in English at KCSE or equivalent qualification.

Cluster subjects for law in Kenya – What subjects do I need to study law in Kenya?

On top of the C+ mean grade overall (minimum), in order to get admission into most law schools in Kenya, you should satisfy the following minimum grades in the 4 cluster subjects .

CLUSTER SUBJECT 1: Grade required in one subject (B plain)

English / Kiswahili

CLUSTER SUBJECT 2: Grade required in one subject (C plus)

Math A /Math B /Biology /Physics /Chemistry /Biology /GSC

CLUSTER SUBJECT 3: Grade required in one subject (C plus)

HAG / Geography / CRE (IRE / HRE)

CLUSTER SUBJECT 4:  Grade required in one subject (C plus)

Biology/ Physics / Chemistry/ Geography/ CRE (IRE / HRE)/ Agriculture/Home science /Art and design/ GSC / HAG/ Computer /French/German/Arabic/Kiswahili/WW /  BC / MW /PM / ECT /  AVT / DRD / MUC / BST

In universities such as UON (University of Nairobi), no student is admitted for the LLB programme (Bachelor of Laws) unless she/he has scored a grade of B+ in English in the KCSE examination. That said, most law schools in Kenya accept a B plain in English.

Important: Keep in mind that bachelor of law requirements are uniform in Kenya universities (as set by the council of legal education)

Now that you know about the law degree requirements in Kenya, let us look at other crucial details about law courses in Kenyan universities.

Course Duration

Law courses in Kenyan universities (Bachelor of Laws) programme lasts FOUR academic years (minimum) comprising 8 semesters.

In other words, to qualify for this award, you must complete the LLB course of study in not less than 4 academic years but not more than 6 academic years.

Course structure

The LLB programme comprises 56 course units. Note that each course unit is equivalent to three credit hours (a week).

You will be taking a total of 14 course units in every academic year (divided into 7 course units/per semester).

Studying law in Kenya: Intake windows

For the most part, the universities offering legal education in Kenya admit new students in May and September each year.

What next after your Bachelor of Laws(LLB) Degree?

After you qualify with your Bachelor of Laws(LLB)Degree, you must proceed to pursue a diploma in law(Advocates Training Program) at Kenya School Of Law.

The course takes 12months after which you undertake a 6 months’ compulsory internship (called pupillage) in a registered law firm, or the state Department of Law, or the ODPP (Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution).

You can only be licensed to practice after meeting these post graduate requirements.

Universities offering law in Kenya – top 10 law universities in Kenya

These are the universities fully accredited to teach law in Kenya:

1. Kenyatta university school of law – contact
2. MKU School of Law
3. Riara University School of Law
4. Moi University School of Law
5. Nazarene University
6. Chuka University
7. Umma University
8. Kisii University School of Law
9. University of Embu School of Law
10. Daystar University School of Law
11. The University of Nairobi School of Law
12. Egerton University School of Law
13. Strathmore University School of Law
14. JKUAT School of Law
15. Catholic University School of Law

Key skills and interests required to pursue a career in law

• Trustworthiness and discretion
• Excellent command of English (oral & written)
• Active listening skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Analytic and logical reasoning
• Research skills
• Reading skills
• Reading skills
• Planning skills
• Organization skills
• Negotiation skills

What the job/profession/career entails

Legal professionals advise and represent individuals, businesses and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.

Typically, lawyers do the following:

• Communicate with their clients, judge, and others involved in ongoing court cases
• Conduct research and analyze legal problems.
• Interpret law
• Interpret rulings and regulations; and
• Prepare and file legal documents such as lawsuits. Contracts and appeals among other duties.

Most judges also start as lawyers/advocates.

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Requirements for diploma in law in Kenya

If you’d like to take a diploma in law, here are the requirements and the colleges/universities accredited to offer a diploma in law in Kenya:

• Hold a KCSE mean grade of C(C plain) or its equivalent AND a grade of C+ (minimum) in English OR
  Have one principal pass (at least) at the KACE(Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education) examinations

Colleges/universities accredited to offer a diploma in law in Kenya:

• Kenya Institute of Management – Contact kim@kim.ac.ke ( or call 0719054101)
• Kisii University School of Law- Call 0720 875082
• MKU School of Law –Call 0709 153000

Keep in mind that persons that successfully pursue this course can be hired as legal writers/assistants, paralegals, and social workers.

They may also form part of the workforce in licensed where they will be providing assistance to the lawyers and litigators in the course of their work.

Diploma in law in Kenya -Course structure & duration

1. The Diploma in Law programme takes 4 semesters (in general) and consists of 24 units (minimum).
2. The programme takes a minimum of two academic years and a maximum of 4 years (on either full time/part time basis).
3. Each academic has two semesters, which is usually 16 weeks ( 14 weeks for learning and two weeks for end-of-semester examinations).

Types of law courses in Kenya

As you have seen, you can take mainly pursue a law course either at the degree or diploma level.

The qualifications are as indicated previously.

A word on online law courses in Kenya

We did not find any local college/university offering an online law degree in Kenya at the time of this.

Perhaps you may have to look at international universities if you must take your course online.

These includes:

1. UNICAF university
2. University of Salford, UK
3. Essex University, UK.

Important: if you will go the international way, be sure to research if the papers you get from your chosen university are recognized by Kenya authorities. You don’t want to waste your time and money doing an unaccredited law degree/diploma.

Which regulatory bodies govern legal education and practice in Kenya?

There are two distinct bodies:

• Council for Legal Education (CLE) – the council accredits and monitor colleges and universities offering legal courses in Kenya
• Law society Of Kenya(LSK)- this is the professional trade union/welfare body for lawyers. It is advisable to join LSK once you get your papers.

Conclusion

That’s all about law degree requirements in Kenya.

Till next time!

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