A ‘fake’ lawyer who reportedly won all 26 of his cases despite having no legal training has been arrested in Kenya.
The man practised under the name Brian Mwenda.
He is accused of masquerading by stealing the identity of a real lawyer, Brian Mwenda Ntwiga, the BBC reports.
Local media say the impostor won all 26 of his cases in various Kenyan courts despite lacking legal training.
He was detained by the Rapid Action Team of the Nairobi Branch of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) after the matter sparked public outrage and the branch received numerous complaints.
Authorities allege he accessed the society’s portal, tampered with the account details of a man with the same name, uploaded his own photograph and claimed to be trained in law.
The real Brian Mwenda Ntwiga contacted the LSK after he could not access his account and discovered some details had been changed.
“On the 5th Day of August 2022, Brian Mwenda Ntwiga was admitted to the Bar and his correct email address was captured and an Account opened for him in the Advocates portal,” the LSK said in a statement.
“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 Practicing Certificate.
It was only until sometimes in September 2023 when he attempted to login in to the system and activate his profile with the intention of applying for his Practising Certificate that he realized he could not access his LSK Portal.”
The LSK’s Nairobi Branch also wrote on X, formerly Twitter:
‘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.’
While the story provoked outrage among legal officials, some people praised the man.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) told the BBC he was a ‘brilliant young mind’ who had succeeded ‘without traditional qualifications’.
Controversial former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko shared a video with the man on X.
Mr Sonko has previously faced allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering during his political career.
‘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 wrote in the tweet that the supposed Mr Mwenda would go to a police station to record a statement.
Renson Mulele Ingonga, Kenya’s director of public prosecutions, said Mr Mwenda might face prosecution after he instructed the Inspector General of the National Police Service to investigate.
He added in a statement on Saturday that there had been ‘increased cases of unqualified persons… pretending to be Advocates of the High Court of Kenya’.