Kabarak Law School, under its niche area of good governance, runs the Avid Readers Forum (ARF) as a forum for reading and discourse on various issues of governance in Kenya and the wider African region. This forum, which began in 2019 as a platform for discourse among law students, has now become renowned for its regular coverage of topical legal issues both within the academy and in the wider legal fraternity. Previous sessions in 2021-2022 have covered topics such as the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court on socio-economic rights, the future of women’s rights, the place of Africa in international law, decolonising jurisprudence, the BBI case as well as the Somalia-Kenya maritime boundary case at the International Court of Justice.

Forums

1. ‘The last word? Unpacking the Supreme Court decision on the Building Bridges Initiative’ – held on 8 April 2022. The panelists included; Prof Rosalind Dickson, Prof Ben Sihanya, Dr Adem K Abebe, Dr Gautam Bhatia, Ms Christine Nkonge, and Mr Ochiel Dudley, and moderated by Ms Valentine Khaminwa.
2. ‘Dissecting the Supreme Court Presidential Election Petition Decision, 2022’ – held on 7 October 2022. The panelists included: Prof John Hudson FBA, Prof Ben Sihanya, Dr Muthomi Thiankolu, JV Owiti, Ochiel Dudley, Lucianna Thuo, and moderated by Ms Julie Matheka and Ms Valentine Khaminwa.
3. ‘Presidential veto in the law-making process: The case of Kenya’s amendatory recommendations’ based on a paper authored by Mr Walter Khobe. The forum was held on 2 November 2022. The lead reader was Ms Lucianna Thuo and the moderator was Marion Joy.
4. ‘Mitu-Bell Welfare Society v Kenya Airports Authority and 2 others; Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (Amicus Curiae) [2021] eKLR’ based on the Mitu-Bell case. The forum was held on held on 16 November 2022. The panelists were Ian Mwiti, Victoria Miyandazi and Maurice Oduor. To participate and excel in local and international moot court competitions, including the following.
5. Decolonising Jurisprudence - held on 20 February 2021 and facilitated by Dr. John Osogo Ambani (as he then was) and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo.
6. Dissecting the Supreme Court Judgement in the Mitubell Case - held on 26 February 2021; facilitated by Ian Mwiti, Dudley Ochiel and Maurice Oduor, and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo.
7. Africa and the history of International Law - held on 20 March 2021; facilitated by Tomkeen Mobegi and Harrison Mbori, and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo.
8. The Kenya-Somalia Maritime Delimitation Case - held on 31 March 2021; facilitated by John Nyanje, Harrison Mbori, Humphrey Sipalla and Azmaira Alibhai, and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo.
9. The future of women’s rights from a Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) perspective - held on 24 April 2021 and facilitated by Lizzy Muthoni, Rachel Jepchumba and Melissa Mungai, and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo.
10. Katiba @11: Appraising the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Judgement - held on 27 August 2021 as part of 11^th anniversary celebration of Kenya’s Constitution. The Forum co-hosted with the Katiba Institute and ICJ-Kenya and was facilitated by Prof Rosalind Dixon, Prof Yaniv Roznai, Prof Richard Albert, Prof Ben Sihanya, Prof Migai Akech, Dr Duncan Okubasu, Mr Dudley Ochiel, Mr Elisha Ongoya and Dr Gautam Bhatia, and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo and Silas Kamanza.
11. The clash of Nations: The Kenya-Somalia Maritime Delimitation Judgement - held on 22 October 2021 and facilitated by Dr Nabil Orina, Ms Lillian Wambui, Ms Chepkorir Sambu, Mr John Nyanje and Mr Owiso Owiso, and moderated by Ms Lucianna Thuo.