Two Kenyan law students from Strathmore University Eugene Kanyugo and Mariam Hiba Malik made history after emerging victorious in the 12th edition of Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
The competition which was held recently elevated the status of Strathmore School of Law.
This win makes Kenya a first time champion in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Further it marks the first time for Africa emerging the winner in the last 10 years.
The two law students at Strathmore competed against another team from Kenyatta University who both made it to the finals, another major milestone as both teams were from the same African country.
The final round was a debacle in the presence of judges drawn from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the European Court of Human Rights and the Global Campus of Human Rights.
They had been preparing for the last seven months polishing up their arguments under the guidance of Cecil Abugu.
Abungu described Eugene and Mariam as having “a wonderful spirit and staying committed, resilient and hardworking for the entire time.” “It has been a privilege for me to help them.”
According to Strathmore Website, five judges “unanimously declared” both Eugene and Mariam the winners of the competition.
The win was no mean feat for Strathmore School of Law as the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot is the biggest competition on international human rights court competition in the world.
At least 50 world-class universities all over the globe take part. They are selected from the five United Nations (UN) regions.
With the win, both Eugene and Mariam will receive two Peter Coenen Scholarships for a Summer International Human Rights Implementation Programme at the University of Lucerne in Switzerland.