Reactions as Only 397 Out of 1,834 Candidates Pass 2025 Law Bar Exam

The Kenya Times ~ Trending, Breaking News and Videos

Reactions as Only 397 Out of 1,834 Candidates Pass 2025 Law Bar Exam

The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has released the results of the November 2025 Advocates Training Programme (ATP) examinations, revealing a notable decline in overall performance compared to the November 2024 examination series.

The results show that only 397 of 1,834 candidates examined passed all nine units required to be admitted to the bar, for an overall pass rate of 21.64 percent.

These ATP examinations were conducted between November 13 and November 25, 2025. A total of 2,968 candidates registered for the examination. According to CLE, 1,835 candidates registered for regular exams, while 1,133 registered as re-sit candidates.

The November 2025 examinations reflect a dip in performance compared to the November 2024 ATP Examination.

Also Read: Linus Kaikai Among 916 to Be Admitted to the Bar

CLE Performance Breakdown Across the Units

ATP 104, which is Trial Advocacy, recorded the highest pass rate at 97.49 percent, continuing its trend as one of the best-performing units. 

On the other hand, ATP 105 Professional Ethics registered the lowest pass rate at 25.38 percent, marking the third consecutive examination sitting in which the unit has performed poorly.

CLE described this as a worrying trend.

 “This is the third time in a row that ATP 105 Professional Ethics has recorded the lowest pass rate, and CLE takes note of this worrying trend about the unit’s performance,” read part of the statement. 

Other units recorded mixed results, contributing to the low number of candidates who successfully passed all nine subjects.

Also Read: Govt Addresses November Advocates Training Program Exams Registration Issues

Concerns Over Ethics and Legal Training Standards

The repeated underperformance in Professional Ethics has raised concerns among stakeholders, including legal educators, practitioners, and regulators. Ethics is a mandatory requirement for admission to the Bar, and sustained poor results in the unit have prompted calls for a review of teaching methodologies, assessment standards, and support mechanisms for candidates.

CLE noted that the comparative data show a decline in performance among regular candidates when compared to the November 2024 ATP examination series.

The Council of Legal Education (CLE) expressed its appreciation to the respective offices and also congratulated the candidates.

“CLE is extremely grateful for the support from the Office of the Attorney General, the Judiciary, the Kenya School of Law, the Law Society of Kenya, and all the other stakeholders for the shared vision of transforming legal education and training in Kenya. With sincere acknowledgment of the efforts of each candidate, CLE hereby officially releases the results for the November 2025 Advocates Training Programme Examination and congratulates all the candidates for a job well done'” read the statement.

Candidates are advised that their results are now available on the CLE candidate portal.

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This post Reactions as Only 397 Out of 1,834 Candidates Pass 2025 Law Bar Exam first appeared on The Kenya Times ~ Trending, Breaking News and Videos and is written by Morgan Wanyonyi