Most law graduates from our universities are ‘half-baked’, says former EACC Director Ringera

Former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Director Justice Aaron Ringera has raised concerns over the quality of legal education in Kenya, claiming that most law graduates from public universities are “half-baked.”

His remarks follow a new report exposing widespread failure among students from public universities in the Bar Examination.

Kenya currently has 18 universities offering law degrees, 10 of which are public. However, data from the Council of Legal Education (CLE) shows that 81 per cent of those who failed the Bar Exam are graduates of these public institutions. The figures paint a worrying picture of performance at universities widely regarded as academic giants.

According to the report, 30 per cent of the failures came from Kenyatta University, 27 per cent from the University of Nairobi, 22 per cent from Moi University, and 2 per cent from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Together, these four institutions account for the majority of unsuccessful candidates.

In stark contrast, private universities performed significantly better. Catholic University accounted for 8 per cent of the failures, Kabarak University 6 per cent, Mount Kenya University 4 per cent, and Africa Nazarene University 2 per cent.

Prof Kulundu Bitonye, the CEO of CLE, did not mince words when discussing the situation.

He said, “When you see what they write, it’s like they never went to a law class,” pointing to serious legal writing and reasoning deficiencies among some graduates.

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Ringera echoed these concerns, warning the country risks flooding the legal profession with unqualified individuals.

“We are producing certificates, not lawyers,” he said.

“Some law graduates from our top public universities cannot write basic legal arguments.”

The revelations have sparked debate over the actual value of degrees offered by public institutions. Many question whether these universities live off past glory while failing to equip students with practical skills and critical legal reasoning.

Stakeholders call for a curriculum review, enhanced regulatory oversight, and rigorous accreditation standards. Until then, the question remains: Are Kenya’s public universities producing real lawyers, or just graduates with law degrees?

By Joseph Mambili