Moi University ordered to close School of Law

The Council of Legal Education has ordered Moi University to close its school of law for failing to meet requirements to offer the course, a decision that has thrown into jeopardy the future of 1,500 students.

In a letter to Vice-Chancellor Richard Mibey, the council said it ordered the closure on August 28 after an inspection showed that Moi University did not have the capacity to offer law courses.

In the September 23 letter, the council chief executive officer, Kulundu Bitonye, said Moi University performed poorly during the inspection of facilities and resources used to offer the law programme.

“Although the council noted that efforts have been expended and improvements made, the score attained during the inspection was 36.5 per cent, which does not meet the threshold of 67 per cent for full accreditation. It is noteworthy that the institution has scored poorly in all areas,” the letter indicates.

According to the council, the provisional accreditation license upon which the school of law was granted the authority to conduct education and training expired on September 2.

The council demanded that the university submit a closure plan in the next two months.

It ordered Moi University to put in place a plan for either teaching out current students or transferring them to licensed institutions.

The university is also required to devise a management plan for academic staff.

An undergraduate at the law school pays up to Sh160,000 a year. In the past, lecturers have gone on strike demanding better pay.

Commission for University Education CEO David Some said professional agencies give the greenlight for courses offered in universities.

“We approve a programme in a particular university if the professional body of that field gives the university a go-ahead,” Prof Some said.

The Dean, School of Law, Mr Henry Lugulu, however maintained that the institution had the capacity to offer legal training.

“We are in discussions with the council and other agencies, we are handling the situation,” Lugulu said.

The move to close the school has also elicited wide condemnation from a group of lawyers, who are alumni of Moi University School of Law.

The group termed the move impolitic, saying Moi University has the best facilities and has been producing some of the country’s top lawyers.

Kenya’s higher learning programme has come under sharp scrutiny followed cases of fake degrees offered in several institutions.

In several occasions, the Commission for University Education (CUE) has been put on the spot to explain allegations of sub-standard courses offered in several learning institutions in the country including colleges, private universities and training institutes.

By Reuben Wanyama