Central Organization of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has urged the Law Society of Kenya to petition the courts to drop all charges against Brian Mwenda Njagi, the infamous fake lawyer who had won all of his 26 cases. This call follows the Cabinet’s approval of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework.
The Cabinet, led by President William Ruto on Monday, approved the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), paving the way for the implementation of a framework designed to acknowledge skills acquired in the informal sector.
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Commending the Cabinet’s decision, Atwoli said the LSK should petition the courts to dismiss the charges against Mwenda Njagi and proceed to subject him to the various processes outlined in the guidelines on RPL.
The fake lawyer faces six charges related to impersonating a High Court advocate. He allegedly accessed the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) portal and manipulated the account details of an individual with an identical name.
The real lawyer, Brian Mwenda Ntwiga, contacted the LSK when he encountered difficulties accessing his account and discovered that certain details had been altered.
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In a statement on Wednesday, Atwoli emphasized that the Cabinet’s approval of the RPL Framework will guarantee that thousands of youth such as Brian Mwenda, spanning both formal and informal sectors of the economy, attain a formal qualification aligned with their knowledge and skills.
“In this regard, COTU (K) calls upon the Law Society of Kenya, in supporting the move by the government to promote RPL, to beseech the courts to drop all charges against Brian Njagi and subject him to the various processes as contained in the guidelines on RPL,” Atwoli said.
The trade unionist highlighted that despite possessing exceptional abilities gained through practical experience, self-study, and non-formal educational channels, numerous Kenyan youth frequently encounter exclusion from opportunities in the formal sector. This occurs as the system typically prioritizes qualifications from traditional learning pathways.
“RPL is a proven mechanism for recognizing the diverse learning pathways of our citizens and for harnessing the untapped talents that can drive our nation forward in accordance with the Bottom Up Transformation Agenda (BETA),” he said.
Atwoli noted that, as a workers’ rights body, they have long advocated for the application of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) principle.
