The Kenyan man practising under the name Brian Mwenda (pictured here) has been accused of being a 'masquerader' who had stolen the identity of a real lawyer called Brian Mwenda Ntwiga. Photo / Twitter / @AfricaFactsZone
The Kenyan man practising under the name Brian Mwenda (pictured here) has been accused of being a 'masquerader' who had stolen the identity of a real lawyer called Brian Mwenda Ntwiga. Photo / Twitter / @AfricaFactsZone
A “fake” lawyer who reportedly won all 26 of his cases despite having no legal training or qualifications has been arrested in Kenya.
According to the BBC, the man practicing under the name Brian Mwenda has been accused of stealing the identity of real lawyer Brian Mwenda Ntwiga and using his name to represent clients.
However, despite the man conning all of his clients-turned-victims, he reportedly won all 26 of his cases according to local media, despite his lack of training.
He has now been arrested by the Rapid Action Team of the Nairobi Branch of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) after his case caused public outrage and the branch received many complaints.
He allegedly accessed the law society’s portal and tampered with the real lawyer’s details before uploading an image of himself and claiming to be trained in law.
The real Brian Mwenda Ntwiga eventually contacted the law society after he was unable to access his online account and realised his details had been changed.
That’s when the discovery was made.
“On the 5th Day of August 2022, Brian Mwenda Ntwiga was admitted to the Bar and his correct email address was captured and an Account opened for him in the Advocates portal,” the LSK said in a statement.
“We have reached out to Advocate Brian Mwenda Ntwiga who confirmed that he had not applied for a practicing certificate since his admission, reason being that he had been working at the Office of the Attorney General and did not require a Practicing Certificate.
“It was only until sometimes in September 2023 when he attempted to login to the system and activate his profile with the intention of applying for his Practising Certificate that he realized he could not access his LSK Portal.”
Fake lawyer Brian Mwenda stands next to controversial former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko. Photo / Twitter / @MikeSonko
The LSK’s Nairobi Branch also wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The Branch wishes to notify all members of the society and of the public that BRIAN MWENDA NJAGI is not an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, from the Society’s records, neither is he a member of the Branch.”
Despite the fake lawyer receiving widespread condemnation, some labelled the man’s efforts as “impressive”.
Kenya’s Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) told the BBC that he was a “brilliant young mind” who made it “without traditional qualifications”.
The fake lawyer has since posted a video defending his actions and claims he is innocent.
I still maintain that my future lawyer Brian Mwenda is innocent until proven guilty. Tuko na yeye huku Mombasani until Monday when we shall present him to the DCI to record a statement pic.twitter.com/fFGNoxG7tX
“I would like to convey my gratitude to the people that are supporting me and praying for me... in the fullness of time I will be able to clear this misunderstanding.
“I will be also be able to provide my innocence and provide the actual context.”
The fake lawyer has been released on a “police cash bail” according to a controversial former Nairobi governor.
