Thousands of law graduates could soon have more options to qualify as advocates of the High Court of Kenya, if draft regulations that propose opening up of professional legal training are adopted. This would effectively end the decades-old monopoly of the Kenya School of Law (KSL) in the legal training field.

📋 Breaking It Down

The proposed regulations seek to allow both public and private accredited institutions to offer the Advocates Training Programme (ATP) while creating clearer pathways from diploma and A-level qualifications to law degrees and, eventually, professional legal training. Currently, the ATP is only offered at the KSL campus in Karen while the examinations are administered by the Council for Legal Education (CLE).

According to the proposals contained in the draft Legal Education (Advocates Training Programme) Regulations, 2026 and the draft Legal Education (Licensing and Quality Assurance) Regulations, 2026, law graduates who have previously been unable to join the Advocates Training Programme would also get a two-year transition window under the draft framework, with a transitional pre-bar examination proposed to give them another route into professional training.

The proposed regulations also seek to establish uniform standards for legal education providers, including requirements for curriculum updates, practical training, qualified faculty, research and regular quality assurance.

📌 What You Need to Know

“We provide, under the regulations, a two-year transition window for those who hold degrees in law but for some reason or the other do not qualify to join the programme,” said Prof Collins Odote, the chairperson of the CLE.

He said the transition would include a bridging examination through which affected graduates could qualify to proceed to the ATP.

The regulations also propose new pathways into the legal profession, including recognition of diploma and A-level qualifications as part of a progression route towards a law degree and professional legal training.

The council said the reforms were intended to remove bottlenecks while maintaining standards in legal education.

“For students, this is a means to end the bottlenecks that they have faced in the past, delays from joining the Bar, and also provide a clear, transparent and published process by which institutions might be accredited,” Prof Odote said.

The proposed regulations would also establish uniform standards for legal education providers, including requirements for curriculum updates, practical training, qualified faculty, research and regular quality assurance.

📰 Source: Nation Africa