The Office of the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary has confirmed that alleged fake lawyer Brian Mwenda N was fraudulently using a P105 identification number issued to another lawyer with a similar name. The revelation came during court proceedings before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina at Milimani Law Courts.
Once admired for his confident courtroom performances, Mwenda now stands not as counsel but as the accused, facing the very system he once deceived. His case a mix of audacity and tragedy has gripped Kenya’s legal circles, raising serious concerns about loopholes in the justice system.
The Investigation Unfolds Kennedy Ogutu, a legal counsel in the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, served as the prosecution’s key witness. He recounted how the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) contacted the Kenya School of Law on October 20, 2023, to verify whether Mwenda had enrolled, completed his studies, or graduated.
Three days later, on October 23, the Office of the Chief Registrar received a follow-up from the DCI regarding two questionable documents a certificate of admission to the bar and an annual practicing certificate for 2023, both under the name Brian Mwenda. The mission? Authenticate their legitimacy.
Upon review, no record of a “Brian Mwenda Njagi” existed in the registry. Instead, the P105 identifier found on the fraudulent certificate rightfully belonged to another lawyer Brian Mwenda Ntiga.
Signs of Forgery: Further scrutiny uncovered glaring inconsistencies. Advocates in Kenya are assigned a lifelong P105 number upon admission, and it is strictly non-transferable. The certificate in question bore the signature of the late Chief Justice Evans Gicheru, who had resigned in 2011 and passed away in 2020 yet the document was allegedly signed by him in August 2022. The actual Chief Justice in office at the time was Martha Koome.
Moreover, the Judiciary maintains a secure portal for verifying certificates issued to practicing advocates. A quick check of Mwenda’s credentials found no matching records.
A Crumbling Façade The shocking revelation has left the legal community questioning how such fraud went undetected. How did Mwenda manage to infiltrate the justice system? Are there others like him hiding within the ranks?
Once hailed as a courtroom prodigy, Mwenda now faces an arduous legal battle this time, as a defendant rather than a lawyer. With the next hearing scheduled for May 22, 2025, the case is set to reveal even more layers in this astonishing saga of deception
