A ‘fake’ lawyer who reportedly won all 26 cases despite having no legal training has been arrested in Kenya.
According to the BBC, the person who practices as a lawyer under the name Brian Mwenda is accused of being an ‘impersonator’ who stole the identity of a real lawyer named Brian Mwenda Ntwiga.
According to local media, the ‘fake lawyer’ won all 26 cases he filed in various courts in Kenya, despite having no legal training.
However, he was arrested by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Nairobi Branch Rapid Action Team after his case caused public outrage and the branch received many complaints.
He allegedly accessed the association’s portal and tampered with the account information of a man who shared the same name, before uploading a picture of himself and claiming to have studied law.
The ‘real’ Brian Mwenda Ntwiga contacted LSK after being unable to access his account and realizing some details had been changed.
In the statement made by LSK, it was said: “Brian Mwenda Ntwiga was admitted to the Bar on the 5th day of August 2022 and an Account was opened for him on the Lawyers portal by obtaining the correct email address.”
‘We reached out to lawyer Brian Mwenda Ntwiga and he confirmed that he had not applied for a practicing certificate since his admission to practice, the reason being that he was working in the Attorney General’s Office and did not need a practicing certificate.
“However, in September 2023, when he tried to log in and activate his profile to apply for a Practice Certificate, he found that he was unable to access the LSK Portal.
LSK’s Nairobi Branch also wrote on
While the incident caused outrage, especially among lawyers, others found the ‘fake lawyer’ impressive.
The Kenya Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) told the BBC he was a ‘bright young mind’ who achieved this ‘without conventional qualifications’.
Another of the man’s supporters is Nairobi’s controversial former governor, Mike Sonko, who posted a video with the man on X.
