How do You Become a Lawyer in Kenya?

The legal profession is one of the most prestigious in Kenya, and indeed all over the world. Given that fact, it is hardly surprising that we often encounter questions as to how exactly one can go about becoming a lawyer in Kenya. Some of the people who pose this question turn out to be recent form 4 graduates, who are considering pursuing a career in law within Kenya. Others turn out to be individuals who did their KCSE long ago, pursued other careers, but are now considering switching to law. Other still turn out to be individual who were lawyers in other jurisdictions, but want to start practicing law in Kenya.

So, how do you become a lawyer in Kenya? Well, the simple answer is that to become a lawyer in Kenya, you would need to study law. If you want to practice as an advocate, you would (on top of earning a law degree) have to get yourself called to the bar/admitted to Kenya’s roll of advocates. It is only after you are called to the bar/admitted to Kenya’s roll of advocates that you can start representing clients in court.

Generally, the route to becoming a lawyer in Kenya starts with performing well at high school level/getting a decent KCSE grade. 

The second step is to study for a law degree. Nowadays, there are many universities in Kenya that offer law degrees. So you enroll for a law degree, at a university that is allowed to offer the same by the relevant authorities/a university that all the relevant accreditations. 

Then once you complete your (typically 4 year) law degree, you enroll for the postgraduate diploma in law at Kenya School of Law. 

Then you pass the bar exam (which some people claim is hard, given the high failure rate). 

Then you do pupilage and ultimately get called to the bar, to become an advocate of the high court of Kenya.

 Studying for a law degree in Kenya can be expensive, especially if you are a privately sponsored student. But you canapply for a HELB loan, if you are eligible for one. The process of applying for a HELB loan, just like the process of applying for a kra pin mainly entails filling in some forms online. Then once you get the HELB money, you can use it to finance your law degree studies. After that, you would need to find the money to finance Kenya School of Law studies, as well as money to finance the bar exam... It is definitely a long route, but the rewards can be truly worthwhile at the end of it all.