INTRODUCTION
The aim of the Pre-Kenya School of Law Core Courses Compliance Programme is to enable applicants to the Kenya School of Law to attain compliance with Section 23 of the Legal Education Act 2012, which, read together with the Second Schedule of the same statute, stipulates the core courses required for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.
All the stipulated courses are in the Riara Law School LLB Programme Curriculum that was approved by the Council of Legal Education in August 2012. The approved curriculum supplies the rules, policies, course description and course content for this programme. The programme has four modules, described below, the first of which is mandatory.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
To gain admission to this programme, applicants must:
- Be holders of an LLB degree from a recognized university; and
- Have a referral letter from the Council of Legal Education indicating the courses they need to take to become eligible for admission to Kenya School of Law.
CERTIFICATION
Upon completion of their course of study, students will receive an academic transcript from Riara University and a Completion letter signed by the Dean of Riara Law School.
There are sixteen courses in total: Legal Research; Torts; Contracts; Constitutional Law; Legal Systems and Methods; Criminal Law; Family Law and Succession; Law of Evidence; Commercial Law (Including Sale of Goods, Hire Purchase and Agency); Law of Business Associations (including Insolvency); Administrative Law; Jurisprudence; Equity and Law of Trusts; Property Law; Public International Law; Labour Law.
PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS
- COURSE UNITS
The programme is made up of the four modules listed below. The first module is mandatory, but students who hold postgraduate in any of its course units may apply in writing for exemption from such course or courses. All other students will be expected to take all the courses listed in it. Students are at liberty to pick only the courses they need from the remaining three modules.
Module One (mandatory)
- RLLB 106: Constitutional Law II
- RLLB 202: Legal Writing & Research II
Module Two
- RLLB 201: Criminal Law I
- RLLB 209: Criminal Law II
- RLLB 205: Law of Evidence I
- RLLB 208: Law of Evidence II
- RLLB 206: Administrative Law I
- RLLB 211: Administrative Law II
- RLLB 109: Legal Systems and Methods
- RLLB 302: Public International Law
- RLLB 307: Jurisprudence
- RFC 101: Communication & Writing Skills
Module Three
- RLLB 102: Law of Contracts I
- RLLB 107: Law of Contracts II
- RLLB 301: Commercial Law
- RLLB 303: Law of Business Associations I
- RLLB 308: Law of Business Associations II (to include Insolvency Law)
Module Four
- RLLB 402: Family Law
- RLLB 405: Law of Succession
- RLLB 203: Property Theory
- RLLB 212: Property Law
- RLLB 309: Equity & Trusts
- RLLB 103: Law of Torts I
- RLLB 108: Law of Torts II
- RLLB 304: Labour Law
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
For each course, students sit a final examination that comprises 70% of their final grade. Continuous assessment assignments are also given that make up 30% of the final grade. Continuous assessment includes in-class written tests, take home research assignments, legal drafting assignments, moot court, and classroom presentations.
CLASS ATTENDANCE, PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION
Riara Law School has a mandatory class attendance, preparation, and participation policy. Students who fail to attend 80% or more class sessions are ineligible to sit final examinations. Those who routinely fail to prepare adequately for class will suffer reduction of continuous assessment grades. Students are encouraged to avoid penalties related to attendance, preparation, and participation by letting their instructors know in advanced of necessary absences, and by taking up make up assignments.
DURATION
This programme runs in semester sessions. There are two sessions in each academic year. The first session begins in May and end in September. The second session begins in September and end in December. Each semester runs for 17 weeks: 15 teaching weeks and 2 examination weeks.
