The High Court has temporarily stopped the Kenya School of Law (KSL) and the Council of Legal Education (CLE) from admitting students to the 2027/2028 Advocates Training Programme (ATP) under new criteria that have been disputed.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Justice John Onyiego issued the conservatory orders on Tuesday, October 6, in a case challenging the legality of the admission requirements announced by KSL.

The dispute followed an amended KSL notice introducing three eligibility categories for ATP applicants, with petitioners arguing that the requirements had not been approved or gazetted through regulations.

“That no regulations prescribing ATP admission requirements have been approved by Parliament, enacted or brought into force pursuant to the Legal Education Act following the said Court of Appeal Decision,” the petition stated.

📌 What You Need to Know

Entry to the ATP usually requires a minimum KCSE mean grade of C+ and at least a B plain in English or Kiswahili, among other conditions.

However, the notice provided alternative routes such as allowing certain law graduates with lower secondary school grades to qualify through additional academic qualifications.

Additionally, one of the new pathways provides for admission after passing a Pre-Bar Examination.

The applicants argued that KSL cannot introduce or modify substantive entry requirements through an annual admission notice without a proper legal and regulatory basis.

They contend that such changes should be made by the institution legally empowered to set admission standards and through the required procedures.

The court has given the respondents seven days to respond to the application before the matter proceeds for further consideration.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke