Abstract:
Clinical legal education has been defined simply as learning law by doing law. 1 It is a method of
instruction in which students engage in varying degrees in the actual practice of the law. Students
get the opportunity to apply the theoretical aspects of their training to real life or simulated
situations. 2
In Kenya, legal education has over the years been imparted by way of the traditional lecture
method. This has mainly been theoretical with little or no attention being paid to the practical
aspects of the law and the legal profession. It is only recently that the importance of incorporating
practical skills began to be recognised. This recognition can be traced back to the year 1994
following the establishment of the Moi University Faculty of Law (the faculty).
In this work the author intends to examine the challenges faced by the faculty in its quest to
incorporate the clinical based approach into its curriculum. In doing so, the author will have to
examine the basis upon which the faculty’s CLE is grounded and the method used by the faculty
implementing it. An assessment will be made of the specific successes and challenges faced by the
faculty in implementing the programme and lastly recommendations to improve its operation will
be made. Though references will be drawn from other jurisdictions in certain instances, the author
will confine himself within the subject of this work, i.e, CLE in Moi University, Kenya.
