Council of Legal Education ends KSL training monopoly and hikes exam fees

The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has introduced new regulatory frameworks to end the 18-year monopoly held by the Kenya School of Law (KSL) over the Advocates Training Programme (ATP). Following a Court of Appeal ruling, the CLE now holds the sole mandate to accredit and license public and private universities to offer professional bar training. To qualify, institutions must pay an initial licensing fee of Sh5 million, maintain a 1:10 instructor-to-trainee ratio, and cap lecture halls at 40 students. KSL has been granted a two-year grace period before it must comply with these same accreditation standards.

Simultaneously, the CLE has doubled examination fees for the ATP due to a severe budget crisis. Following a KSh 202 million reduction in funding from the National Treasury, the cost per exam paper has risen from KSh 5,000 to KSh 10,000. For a full nine-paper examination, total fees have increased from KSh 45,000 to KSh 90,000. These hikes, alongside high costs for resits and remarks, have sparked significant backlash and planned protests from law students concerned about accessibility for low-income individuals.