Council for Legal Education: Anxiety and confusion over law students' examination

The Council for Legal Education (CLE) has been accused of incompetence due to their failure to clearly communicate matters to do with the forthcoming bar examinations.

According to a notice by the council to the candidates, the bar exams are set to run from Tuesday, April 13 from 9am to Friday April 23. The examination centres include the Kenya School of Law, the Bomas of Kenya, the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Karen campus, Cooperative University and Kasneb Tower in the city.

However, due to the covid-9 measures, some students have found themselves outside of Nairobi and therefore might miss the exam, CLE has not provisioned or communicated how this will be handled.

"Hii story ya bar exams naona imetrend kutoka jana. Those at KSL (Kenya School of Law) wanalia sana...no communication about the venue for examination, yet exams are set for Tuesday next week. Imagine students that are from outside the locked counties", a student inboxed nyakundireport.com

The council’s chief executive JK Gakeri told a local media house that he did not know whether the exams will proceed as planned but insisted he was not aware of any hitch "as no one has raised a complaint.”

Gakeri said the "responsible chair[person] had called a meeting this afternoon to discuss the matter" and give directions.

"So, perhaps after that meeting, we may be clear on what is going to happen," he said, painting the picture of a CEO not really sure about the status of the exams.

Meanwhile, students' complaints have littered social media.

The council is the only state organ with the mandate to oversee law education in the country, assess and authorise the syllabuses of universities teaching law and also administer exams for law graduates seeking to be admitted to the bar.

https://twitter.com/koechhi/status/1379735667962417152?s=20

https://twitter.com/WanguN_/status/1379774093982105600?s=20