Read anything about a “fake lawyer” with a purported string of court victories in Kenya lately? If you’re chronically online, chances are good that you have. However, a key facet of the increasingly viral story—namely that one such individual allegedly had 26 case wins to their name—has been brought into question by the country’s top bar association.
Per a report from the New York Times this week, the Law Society of Kenya previously called for local police to arrest Brian Njagi Mwenda after it was discovered that he had been acting as a lawyer after allegedly “stealing the identity of a lawyer with a very similar name.” At one point, the Times’ Abdi Latif Dahir points out, the man was hired to work at a law firm, only to later lose the gig after he “bungled” several cases.
Quick to spread on social media and in headlines were claims that Mwenda, who was confirmed to have presented himself at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Tuesday, had won 26 cases. But according to a recent Twitter update from Law Society of Kenya President Eric Theuri, such claims are simply not true.
"Allegations that the masquerader Brian Mwenda won 26 cases is false & misleading," Theuri said last Friday. "There is no factual basis to support the misleading claims. Efforts to apprend him are in high gear & we are optimistic that he will be brought to book."
Mwenda isn't without his supporters, however. Amid the news being shared on social media, some defended his alleged actions, including impeached Nairobi County governor Mike Sonko.
Earlier this week, the Law Society said that a multi-location raid had taken place in Siaya County, resulting in the arrests of three "masqueraders." The Mwenda case, meanwhile, has been championed by the bar association as a potential "deterrent" for others moving forward.
