Atwoli calls for recognition of Brian Mwenda's skills

 A collage of Brian Mwenda and Francis Atwoli.

Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has thrown his weight behind Brian Mwenda, a man who was accused of impersonating a city lawyer.

Through a statement, Atwoli said COTU believes in the principle of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and called for an examination to test Mwenda’s skills and competencies in matters law.

“The case of Brian Njagi raises critical questions about the accessibility and inclusivity of professions in Kenya.

“If, indeed, it's true that Brian has been practicing law and successfully representing clients in legal matters, we strongly advocate for a fair and transparent examination to test his knowledge, skills, and competencies in the field of law,” said Atwoli.

He added that Kenya is full of highly skilled individuals who have acquired their expertise through practical experience but are often sidelined due to lack of papers.

Atwoli called upon the government to actualize Recognition of Prior Learning in Kenya saying it can lead to harnessing untapped talents.

“I know of many great engineers, accountants, teachers, IT experts, cybersecurity experts, social workers, creatives, footballers, farmers, immigrants, plumbers, carpenters, and paramedics who are specialists in their areas of interest yet without any paper to show their qualifications.

“While some of them persevere the pains of being in a classroom to be taught what they already know, the majority don’t and thus end up being discriminated against…COTU (K), finally, would like to inform Brian Njagi that we are available and ready to support him to ensure that his dreams are actualized,” added Atwoli.

The Law Society of Kenya on Friday, October 13, 2023, released a statement on Mwenda Njagi saying it convened a meeting to discuss an issue relating to the identity theft of one Brian Mwenda Ntwiga.

According to the statement, Ntwiga was admitted to the bar on August 5, 2022, but did not apply for a practising certificate since he had been working at the Office of the Attorney General.

When he attempted to log in to the system in September 2023 to activate his profile, he realised he could not access the portal.

Upon inquiry, he noticed the email address associated with the account did not belong to him hence the error.

LSK maintained that their portal was not compromised and the data of members is ‘safe and protected’.

The Council of the Law Society called upon members to stay vigilant and report any cases of masqueraders for investigation and subsequent apprehension.