Kenyans will soon benefit from the introduction of technology in the legal field through the Kenyanlaw.com platform which is designed to make access to justice quicker and easier. Kenyanlaw.com is a digital platform that is creating the largest legal database that gives free access to legal resources, information and services in Kenya.
The platform consists of resources- Contract templates such as house rental agreement, house help contract, car sale agreement among others.
Speaking in Nairobi, Harman Grewal, Managing Director, Kenyanlaw.com said the platform is a game changer and a timely solution which will help resolve issues of corruption, human rights violations and harassment among others injustices.
“After much research we realised people do not have easy access or knowledge of what the law is in Kenya. We have therefore created a digital platform that aims to be the largest database of legal information, services and resources in Kenya,” he averred.
Kenyanlaw.com offers easy to understand guides on legal processes in Kenya such as how to get married, how to buy land, what is the drone regulation in Kenya. All the guides are written as 3 pagers for easy-to-understand structure.
The platform also offers free services making it incredibly easy to find a lawyer on whether it is something simple or someone very specialised such as a Patent lawyer in Kisumu.
The managing director stated that the platform will make it easy for everyone to understand laws through simple article summaries on legal processes in Kenya where citizens can easily read on processes such as what to do after a car accident or how to properly terminate a domestic worker’s (house-help) contract.
“No one wants to get caught on the wrong side of the law, we often do; as a result of not knowing the law. Unfortunately, ignorance is not a defense but fortunately it is not a sentence,” Grewal affirmed.
There are free contract templates available so people can see how the process of certain legal procedures are to be conducted. Often times people are taken advantage of because they did not know the law. He added that “One goal for Kenyanlaw.com is to make it as easy as possible to know what the law exactly is.”
The second goal is to make it as easy as possible to find a legal service provider where one can follow a flow chart that will take him to the digital doorstep of a legal service provider. This means even if one is searching for something as specific as a Sports lawyer in Kenya or a personal injury lawyer in Meru, the platform can connect you.
Speaking on the same, Isaac Cohen, Creative Director, Kenyanlaw.com stated that the Ai Lawyer is the biggest win as it allows for Kenyans to simply ask a legal question by recording themselves speak and they can be texted the answer or emailed a video explanation. In addition, they can even be connected to an expert nearby through the Ai system.
“The biggest breakthrough for us so far is the development of the legal Ai. This is an automatic legal response system that can respond to any and all legal queries. Questions can be asked in any format, including text, audio and even video in any language,” he explained.
This allows for those that cannot read and minority language speakers to even access justice through the platform.
He added that “This could finally be the solution for Kenya as most offences happen due to a lack of knowledge. Imagine if, your rights have been violated. And now you know what the processes are and you even know who to talk to and that it would even be possible to access justice.
The two tech innovators have begun collaborating with legal stakeholders in Kenya and are building relations to further accelerate the goal for making access to justice easier in Kenya.
“A lot of Kenya’s problems can be resolved through IT. We are focusing on human rights and water projects currently in Kenya. As we have created one of the cheapest water solutions in the world here in Kenya. We now focus on access to justice and with time we will make Wi-Fi available across the country for free and even roll out digital job centres allowing anyone with access to a smartphone, cybercafé or even a boda boda with a smartphone to earn a living in Kenya. The future for Kenya is bright, the future for Kenya is Tech,” he concluded.
