Maseno University given the greenlight to offer law courses
Maseno University entrance. The institution has been given the greenlight to offer law courses.
Maseno University will admit the first law students in May after getting a certificate of confirmation from the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
The permission to teach law comes a decade after Maseno University was allowed to offer Bachelor of Medicine courses.
The Maseno School of Law will be the newest at the university.
According to Maseno University Director of Public Relations, Owen McOnyango, the first batch of law students will have their classes at Kisumu City campus.
“The campus is accessible to all students and teaching staff. One can fly, use the road, metre-gauge railway or even travel by water to Kisumu. The city is in a central location,” Dr McOnyango told Higher Education by phone.
He added that Maseno University is keen on increasing the number of scarce professionals in Kenya.
“There are few legal professionals in the country and the continent in general. Maseno University wants to be part of the solution by adding to the pool of sought-after professionals like lawyers,” Dr McOnyango added.
He said that the institution has met all the requirements to produce top legal brains.
“We have followed the channels demanded of us and adhered to the requirements. For a public institution to start a law school, strict protocols must be complied with,” he said.
“We have met all and are ready to begin offering the courses. It has taken long because Maseno University has never believed in shortcuts.”
Post-graduate diploma
For an institution of higher learning to start a school of law, it must have adequate human resources, a library with sufficient learning materials as well as adequate space in the form of lecture halls, according to the CLE.
“Maseno University has recruited enough lecturers and other professionals who will ensure the law programmes set off on a high note,” Dr McOnyango said.
“We have adequate space for the students as well as a modern library just like it is stipulated in the CLE guidelines.”
Like other institutions offering the course, the Maseno University graduates will be required to go for a post-graduate diploma at the Kenya School of Law in order to be admitted to the bar.
Students will either be sent to the institution by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service or apply directly.
Other public institutions that offer law are the University of Nairobi, Moi and Kenyatta Universities.
Kabarak and a host of other private universities also offer the programmes.
