Kenya Law Reports

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The Kenya Law Reports are the official law reports of the Republic of Kenya which may be cited in proceedings in all courts of Kenya (section 21 of the Act). They are cited thus: [year] KLR.

The enactment of the National Council for Law Reporting Act arose from the need to bridge the gap that existed in official law reporting and to institutionalize law reporting within Kenya’s government structure.

The Council was constituted and inaugurated on 20th May, 1996 under the chairmanship of the Hon. Mr Justice Majid Cockar, the then Chief Justice. After its inauguration, the Council held several meetings and prepared a budget but it suspended its activities, apparently due to lack of resources.

The Council was not capable of performing its functions until early 2001 when, under the chairmanship of the Hon Mr Justice Bernard Chunga, then the Chief Justice, it was provided with premises, equipment and manpower.

In order to fulfill its renewed commitment and vision, the National Council for Law Reporting has oriented itself towards the following objectives:

  • To accelerate the publication of the Kenya Law Reports in order to bring itself up to date with the courts’ calendar in the shortest time possible;
  • To simultaneously publish both previous and current law reports in book form and also over the medium of the internet via the domain name: www.kenyalaw.org;
  • To liaise with the Government Printer in the online publication of Kenyan statute law and other legal materials;
  • To publish monthly and weekly commentaries on emerging legal issues as embodied in judicial opinions;
  • To make representations to the Kenya Law Reform Commission in areas of law which may be in need of reform;
  • To assist the members of the public, learning institutions, non-governmental organizations and government departments in the acquisition of case law and other legal information.

The affairs of the Council are presently managed from its secretariat situated on the Ground Floor of the Milimani Commercial Courts Building off Ngong Road in the Upper Hill (Community) Area of Nairobi. The first volume of the re-launched Kenya Law Reports, the [1981] KLR, was released on 11th January, 2002. The Council has subsequently published 11 years of this backlog (1981-1991) and simultaneously published law reports for four current years (2001-2004).

In 2006, the Council commenced the publication of specialized law reports dedicated to niche subjects of law, beginning with Environment and Land Law reports. These reports are cited thus: KLR (E&L).

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