Mount Kenya University in court over Council for Legal Education accreditation

Mount Kenya University (MKU) has taken its tussle with the Council for Legal Education (CLE) over accreditation to court.

MKU wants the court to bar the council from interfering with the operations of its School of Law. Through Lawyer Fredrick Ngatia, the institution claims to have received an accreditation to offer legal education and training, leading to the award of degree programme from CLE on June 29, 2011.

"Despite this accreditation, CLE has written a letter to the institution demanding that January admission be suspended until the decision on the institution's accreditation status is determined," Mr Ngatia said.

He said the institution had already admitted qualified applicants by the time CLE wrote the letter on January 7, 2016. The students reported three days earlier.

"Unless the application is certified urgent and admitted for hearing and orders sought granted, the admitted students shall be denied their right to education," Ngatia added.

CLE's letter, dated December 16, 2015, notified MKU that the council would inspect the School of Law on January 22, 2016 as part of the accreditation process.

MKU claimed the Commission for University Education is the only body with powers to perform the functions as per the University Act.