A "fake lawyer" who reportedly won all 26 of his cases without qualifications or legal training has been arrested in Kenya.
The BBC reported the man, who practised under the name Brian Mwenda, is accused of stealing the identity of Brian Mwenda Ntwiga, a registered lawyer in the African country.
Despite allegedly conning Mwenda Ntwiga's clients by representing them in court, the accused fake attorney had won all 26 of the cases he fronted.
He has now been arrested by the Rapid Action Team of the Nairobi Branch of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) after the branch received several complaints and stirred up public outrage.
The fake Mwenda allegedly accessed the law society's portal and meddled with the real lawyer's details, including uploading an image of himself and claiming to be trained in law.
Eventually, the real Mwenda Ntwiga contacted the law society after he could not access his online account, leading to the discovery of the accused impostor.
In a statement, the LSK shared context behind the fake lawyer not being uncovered for over a year.
"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," it said.
"We have reached out to Advocate Brian Mwenda Ntwiga who confirmed that he had not applied for a practising 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 realised he could not access his LSK Portal."
On Twitter/X, the LSK's Nairobi Branch also released a statement saying it "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".
Though the accused imposter has received broad condemnation, some were impressed with the man's feat, Kenya's Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) telling the BBC he was a "brilliant young mind” who succeeded "without traditional qualifications".
The accused man has since posted a video defending his actions and claiming innocence.
"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," he said.
"I will be also be able to provide my innocence and provide the actual context."
He was apparently released on cash bail this morning, according to former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, who has publicly defended the fake lawyer.
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