UoN students win the 2nd national moot court competition.
The University of Nairobi School of Law won the national moot court competition held at Egerton University for the second time.
The Parklands-based campus, represented by Kiarie Mark Muturi, Mercy Kamau, and Owen Ng’ang’a Mbuthia, demonstrated why the University of Nairobi is recognized as the top law school in Kenya out of fourteen.
The performance of UoN during the two-day competition placed them first among eight other universities.
This year’s competition’s theme was: “Access to Justice, Democracy and Persons with Disabilities.”
“This a glorious moment for our team, I thank God for this performance because the competition was stiff,” said Mercy, who was voted the best female oralist.
Michael Kulundu from Egerton, who was chosen the best male oralist, stated, “We gave out the best and we learned a lot and we would have loved to win the competition but UoN carried the day,”
A panel of six judges, including Dr. Paul Ogendi (UoN), Dr. Maxwel Miyawa (Egerton), Mr. Peter Pete (UoN), Mr. Collins Odundo (Moi), Ms. Caroline Shilaho (UoN), and Mr. Henry Opondo, chairperson of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Nakuru Chapter, provided the teams with advice on how to hone their skills in preparation for the job market.
Under the direction of Dr. Ruth Aura, hosts Egerton University finished second, ahead of Moi University.
Kisii University, Mount Kenya University, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and United States International University (USIU)
were among the other institutions that participated.
The moot court competition is one of the things that are done as part of the Egerton University Faculty of Law Legal Aid Project (FOLLAP), which is supported by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Amkeni Wakenya facility as part of the Legal Empowerment Aid Delivery in Kenya program (PLEAD).
Ogwel Ogoma, Marvis Ndubi, and Treciline Gati of Moi University earned the Best Memorial Award with an 81.5 percent score.
Riara University (77%), UoN (76.05%), USIU (74%), Egerton Team A (69.5%), JKUAT (65%), CUEA (63%), Mt Kenya University (61.1%), Egerton Team B (58.5%), and Kisii University (46.5%) received the highest percentages in the competition.
Dr. Ogendi praised the students’ performance and encouraged them to register as African Court Counsel to represent indigenous people.
Dr. Ogendi, who teaches Human Rights at the UoN Kisumu campus, said, “These particular skills that you acquire here will be used in real life and once you complete your studies consider applying to the African Court and other international courts like the International Criminal Court where there is a big gap for cases on local remedies which you can exploit.”
Dr Miyawa said: “This is one of the preparation steps on your path to becoming an excellent lawyer and achieving more career success.
“Moot court competitions broaden the breadth of what you can do as a practicing attorney, legal officer, or judge.”
“I was impressed by the level of preparation by the students,” said Dr Miyawa who is a lecturer at Egerton University.
“The current crop of law students have many opportunities to exploit and it is upon the students to look for them. Moot competition is a good platform to learn procedures and the African Court of Justice,” added Dr Miyawa.
Mr. Opondo complimented the pupils’ well-researched arguments, stating: “I was quite impressed by the performance of the student.
“To produce confident advocates, students must continue to participate in multiple moots and examine a variety of subjects, in addition to engaging in more consultative engagements and networking with other stakeholders.”
Dr. Aura stated, “Moot competition is a learning opportunity that prepares you for a career as a lawyer.”
Ms Shilaho said: “The students had good arguments and it was difficult to pick the winners.
“All the participants put their best foot forward and it was enjoyable listening to their well-presented arguments.
“There’s a bright future outside Kenya as the students’ in-depth research was encouraging.”
Egerton Deputy Vice-chancellor Academic Affairs Prof Bernard Aduda said: “The moot competition is a great way of nurturing the next generation of lawyers and developing practical skills that will come in handy in legal practice.
It is a catalyst for policy and legislative changes in the interest of equality and justice for all.”
UoN students win the 2nd national moot court competition.
