In a case that has drawn global attention, a man in Kenya identified as Brian Mwenda Njagi was arrested after allegedly posing as a qualified lawyer and winning numerous court cases while lacking formal legal credentials.
Kenyan authorities say he persuaded judges across different courts, including Magistrates, Court of Appeal, and High Court panels, that he was a licensed advocate, winning 26 cases before his deception was uncovered.
Mwenda’s scheme unraveled when the real lawyer, Brian Mwenda Ntwiga, discovered he could no longer access his professional account on the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) portal.
An investigation showed that Njagi had allegedly gained unauthorized access to the LSK system, altered account details, and uploaded his own photo to assume the identity of a qualified lawyer.
The Law Society of Kenya’s Rapid Action Team (RAT) moved in after receiving multiple public complaints and confirmed that Njagi was not listed as an Advocate of the High Court nor a member of the Society. He was arrested on charges that include identity theft and forgery.
After his arrest, court records and local reports suggest Njagi managed to represent himself in his own bail hearing and reportedly won that case as well, securing release on a cash bail of 200,000 Kenyan shillings.
The incident has sparked debate in Kenya about legal system safeguards, public trust in the profession, and how someone without formal qualifications could operate undetected for so long.
