(CMR) A fake lawyer, Brian Mwenda, who has won 26 cases despite having no legal training, has been taken into custody by Kenyan police. Mwenda reportedly handled all these cases in front of Magistrates, Court of Appeal Judges, and High Court judges.
He was able to portray himself as a qualified attorney for a considerable amount of time, with no one doubting his abilities until his arrest.
Reports are that the Rapid Action Team of the Nairobi Branch of the Law Society of Kenya arrested Mwenda on false pretenses after they received a lot of public complaints.
He allegedly accessed the society's portal and tampered with the account details of a man sharing the same name, before uploading his own picture and claiming to be trained in law.
BBC reported that despite condemnation by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the country's Director of Public Prosecutions, the alleged imposter has garnered several supporters.
He has been praised by Kenya's Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) as a “brilliant young mind” who has succeeded “without traditional qualifications”.
He has also been backed by Mike Sonko, a controversial former governor of Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
Sonko posted a video on social media in which he said the man standing next to him was the accused.
The man in the video, who appeared to be Mwenda, said: “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 also be able to provide my innocence and provide the actual context.”
Despite this backing, Kenya's director of public prosecutions said “Mr Mwenda” faces prosecution.
In a statement on Saturday, Renson Mulele Ingonga wrote: “I have directed the Inspector General of the National Police Service to undertake expedited comprehensive investigations.”
Ingonga said this case is not unique as there have been “increased cases of unqualified persons… pretending to be Advocates of the High Court of Kenya”.
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