Kabarak University has taken a bold step towards redefining postgraduate legal education in Africa following the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ADR ODR International, a United Kingdom-based leader in alternative and online dispute resolution training and professional certification.
The historic agreement was signed by Prof. Henry K. Kiplangat, Vice-Chancellor of Kabarak University, and Mr Rahim Shamji, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ADR ODR International, at the prestigious Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Academy.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the Executive Negotiation and Conflict Management Skills Course, jointly offered by ADR ODR International and the European Institute for Conflict Resolution.
Witnessing the occasion were participants in the international executive course and a high-powered Kabarak University delegation comprising Prof. John Ochola, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Research); Prof. John Osogo Ambani, Dean of Kabarak University School of Law; and Mr Gordon Ogola, Head of the Centre for Multiple Systems of Justice. Also present were Kabarak University students participating in the ADR ODR Ad Hoc Negotiating Moot Court Competition in Dubai.
One Degree, Two Qualifications: A Game-Changer for African Legal Education
At the heart of this partnership is an innovative model that integrates advanced university education with international professional certification.
Students enrolling in Kabarak University's three recently accredited postgraduate programmes in Dispute Resolution will have the opportunity to pursue both a Master's degree from Kabarak University and the internationally oriented Diploma in Digital Dispute Resolution from ADR ODR International, qualifying successful candidates for the professional designation of Digital Dispute Resolution Specialist.
The partnership covers three programmes:
- Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution (LL.M.)
- Executive Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution (Executive LL.M.)
- Master of Philosophy in Dispute Resolution (M.Phil.)
Under the agreement, distinguished ADR ODR International faculty and practitioners will contribute to teaching Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration, bringing international expertise, practical simulations and professional experience into Kabarak University's postgraduate classrooms.
The partnership also provides for the recognition of prior professional qualifications. Holders of ADR ODR International's Diploma in Digital Dispute Resolution may qualify for exemptions from designated modules, subject to applicable academic and regulatory requirements.
The ambition is clear: to produce a new generation of African dispute resolution professionals who combine intellectual depth, practical competence and international professional credentials.
Kabarak to Host Annual Pan-African Negotiation and Mediation Moot
In another major development, the two institutions have agreed to establish an Annual Pan-African Moot Court Competition and Conference on Negotiation and Mediation, to be hosted by Kabarak University in Kenya.
This continental initiative will bring together students, judges, academics, advocates, mediators, arbitrators and policymakers to advance negotiation, mediation and collaborative approaches to justice.
Importantly, the initiative will promote African approaches to dispute resolution, including indigenous knowledge systems, customary justice and alternative justice systems, while embracing technological innovation and international best practices.
It promises to position Kabarak University as a leading continental meeting point for scholarship, professional training and innovation in dispute resolution.
Kabarak Students Fly the University Flag in Dubai
The landmark signing coincided with Kabarak University's participation in the international ADR ODR Ad Hoc Negotiating Moot Court Competition.
Three students, Mariama Waiganjo, Noel Maloba and Rita Jasmine Matini, are representing the University at the international competition.
Their presence in Dubai embodies the University's vision of producing lawyers equipped not merely to litigate disputes, but to negotiate solutions, mediate conflicts and advance peaceful, sustainable approaches to justice.
Building Africa's Future in Dispute Resolution
The partnership extends beyond teaching and professional certification to encompass joint research, academic publications, faculty development, professional exchanges and capacity building.
It comes at a defining moment for Kabarak University School of Law, following the recent accreditation of its postgraduate programmes, and signals the University's growing ambition to become a continental powerhouse in advanced legal education.
By combining African intellectual traditions, rigorous academic scholarship, international professional expertise and technological innovation, Kabarak University and ADR ODR International are charting an exciting new course for dispute resolution education.
This is more than an institutional partnership. It is a statement of ambition: that African universities can lead, innovate and shape the future of justice globally.
From Kabarak to Dubai, and from Dubai to the world, a new chapter in African legal education has begun.
