- Istimewa
Kenya – Becoming a lawyer is certainly not an easy thing. The reason is, if you want to become a lawyer, you must take a law degree. Not only that, there are several steps that must be taken to become a lawyer.
Starting from attending special education for the advocate profession, taking the advocate profession exam, doing an internship to undergoing professional appointments and oaths.
But recently, a 'fake' lawyer who reportedly won all 26 of his cases despite having no legal training has been arrested in Kenya.
Ilustrasi terdakwa saat menjalani persidangan.
- VIVA/Dani Randi
The man practising under the name Brian Mwenda has been accused of being a 'masquerader' who had stolen the identity of a real lawyer called Brian Mwenda Ntwiga,
Instead he became the fake lawyer, but he won all 26 of his cases in various Kenyan courts - despite not having any legal training.
He has now been arrested by the Rapid Action Team of the Nairobi Branch of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) after his case caused public outrage and the branch received many complaints.
He allegedly accessed the society's portal and tampered with the account details of a man sharing the same name, before uploading his own picture and claiming to be trained in law.
The case has captivated the East African country over the past few days, eliciting reactions from outrage to amusement.
Despite condemnation by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the country's Director of Public Prosecutions, the alleged imposter has garnered several supporters.
Ilustrasi hukum.
- Pixabay.
He has been praised by Kenya's Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) as a "brilliant young mind" who has succeeded without traditional qualifications.
He has also been backed by Mike Sonko, the controversial former governor of Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
Sonko posted a video on social media, in which he said the man standing next to him is the accused "fake lawyer".
"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," Sonko said on a video.
