Kenya Law Legal Information Portal (National Council for Law Reporting NCLR)

Overview

Kenya Law, operated by the National Council for Law Reporting (NCLR), is Kenya's official free-access legal information portal. It serves as the primary online repository for Kenya's judicial decisions, consolidated laws, Kenya Gazette editions, and parliamentary records, with a collection of more than 275,000 judicial decisions and over 500 chapters of the Laws of Kenya.

History and Founding

The National Council for Law Reporting was established under the National Council for Law Reporting Act (Act No. 11 of 1994) and formally commenced operations on 20 May 1996 under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Abdul Majid Cockar. It was created to bridge a gap in official law reporting and institutionalise the function within Kenya's government structure. The first volume of the re-launched Kenya Law Reports was released on 11 January 2002.

Collections and Holdings

The portal hosts a comprehensive database including: Kenya Law Reports (official court decisions from superior courts); consolidated Laws of Kenya (over 500 chapters); the Kenya Gazette from 1901 to the present; and the Hansard (parliamentary debates). The portal has expanded to include specialized law reports in areas such as environment and land law (from 2006), as well as election petition records and cause lists from Kenyan courts.

Access and Usage

Kenya Law is freely accessible online at new.kenyalaw.org. Content is largely in the public domain unless expressly stated otherwise. The platform is ISO 9001:2015 certified and is recognised as a leading African legal information resource. It is part of the African Legal Information Institute (AfricanLII) network.

Mission and Governance

The Council is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by the Chief Justice of Kenya. Its mission is to provide universal access to Kenya's public legal information. The secretariat is based in Nairobi.