‘Kenya’s Mike Ross’: Fake lawyer who won all his cases becomes wanted man
A legal body in Kenya has called for the arrest of a man accused of practising law without proper qualifications.
Local media reported that despite not having any formal legal training, the “lawyer” won 26 cases in various Kenyan courts under the name “Brian N. Mwenda”.
According to the BBC, the man was a “masquerader” who had stolen the identity of a real lawyer named Brian Mwenda Ntwiga. The alleged imposter’s name, said the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), is Brian Mwenda Njagi.
The revelation, which has drawn reactions of outrage and amusement in equal parts in Kenya, came to light after the Nairobi Branch of LSK cautioned the public about Mr Njagi.
In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the branch said: “The Branch wishes to notify all members of the society and of the public that Brian Mwenda Njagi is not an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, from the Society’s records, neither is he a member of the Branch.”
LSK, in a statement on Oct 12, said that the imposter was able to criminally access the LSK portal, identify an account with a name corresponding to his, tamper with details such as the e-mail address connected with it, and upload his own photo.
LSK said it was tipped off to the breach in September, when Mr Ntwiga contacted them after he was unable to access his account on the portal due to the e-mail change, and noted changes in other unspecified details as well.
In a statement, LSK said: “On (Aug 5), Brian Mwenda Ntwiga was admitted to the Bar and his correct e-mail address was captured, and an account opened for him in the advocates portal.
“We have reached out to advocate Brian Mwenda Ntwiga who confirmed that he had not applied for a practicing certificate since his admission, reason being that he had been working at the Office of the Attorney General and did not require a practising certificate.”
Despite LSK’s warning of Mr Njagi’s deception, the incident has won him supporters.
Among them is Mr Francis Atwoli, secretary general of Kenya’s Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), who in a statement on Saturday described Mr Njagi as “a young and brilliant Kenyan who has recently faced condemnation for practising law without the traditional law qualifications”.
“If, indeed, it’s true that Brian has been practising law and successfully representing clients in legal matters, we strongly advocate for a fair and transparent examination to test his knowledge, skills, and competencies in the field of law,” said Mr Atwoli.
The veteran labour leader also called on the Kenyan government to recognise the talent of young people who have acquired expertise through informal education.
He said that Mr Njagi’s case is “not unique”, and added: “I know of many great engineers, accountants, teachers, IT experts, cyber security experts... and paramedics who are specialists in their areas of interest yet without any paper to show their qualifications.”
Mr Njagi was also been backed by Mr Mike Sonko, the controversial former governor of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, who posted a video with him on X last Friday.
Standing next to Mr Sonko, Mr Njagi said: “I would like to convey my gratitude to the people that are supporting me and praying for me... in the fullness of time I will be able to clear this misunderstanding.
“I will be also be able to provide my innocence and provide the actual context.”
Mr Sonko, who is a politician who has faced allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering, said about Mr Njagi: “He’s never killed anyone, he’s not a terrorist.”
In a subsequent video posted on Mr Sonko’s X account on Tuesday, Mr Njagi said they were awaiting instructions on where to report his statement to the authorities.
He added: “This is a declaration, for purposes of record, that I am not a fugitive. I am a law abiding citizen, and I am not going anywhere. Any place that I am needed, I will go.”
Replying to Mr Sonko’s posts, some users dubbed Mr Njagi Kenya’s Mike Ross, after the character in the popular US legal series Suits who practises law at a top New York law firm despite not having graduated college or having a law degree.
Kenya’s director of public prosections Renson Mulele Ingonga has called for a probe into the case, and has directed the Inspector General of the National Police Service to undertake “expedited comprehensive investigations”.
Mr Ingonga said this case is not unique – he has noticed “increased cases of unqualified persons... pretending to be Advocates of the High Court of Kenya”.
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