Staff Profile

Michael Wabwile is a Professor at the University of Embu Law School. Since 1999, he has taught, supervised and examined undergraduate, Masters and doctoral students at Moi University, the University of Eldoret, Egerton University, Makerere University, the University of Nairobi, the University of the Western Cape and the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. A seasoned resource person in Higher Education, he has conducted institutional and programme quality audits in Kenya and Uganda on behalf of the Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), respectively. He has undertaken consultancy projects for public and private higher education institutions, providing solutions in policy review, legislative drafting, institutional accreditation, regulatory compliance, strategic planning and reorganisation, and quality assurance. He is a Consultant for the Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Nairobi, where he contributes to various projects reviewing agricultural law and policy.

Previously, Professor Wabwile was deployed as Head of the Department of Private Law at Moi University, where he founded the Master of Laws degree programme in Child and Family Law in 2014. From April 2015 to July 2026, he was the Founding Dean and Head of Law School at Egerton University, Njoro, in Nakuru County. From 2017 to 2025, he served as a non-executive board member of the Kenya School of Law and Convenor of the Board’s Finance, Human Resource and General Purposes Committee.

Admitted to the Kenyan Bar in February 1997, Professor Wabwile has performed senior national leadership responsibilities in the Law Society of Kenya. He served as an Elected Member of the Advocates’ Disciplinary Committee in 2018–2021. He was elected to the 2022–2024 Council of the Law Society of Kenya, where he was the Convenor of the Audit and Editorial committees. He was the Chief Editor of the Law Society of Kenya Law Journal from 2022 to 2025.

He is a recipient of the 8th CB Madan Prize of the University of Nairobi (2020), a Commonwealth Post-Doctoral Academic Fellowship in the United Kingdom (2012–2013) hosted at De Montfort University, a Post-Doctoral Visiting Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College in the University of Cambridge (2011–2012), and a Commonwealth Postgraduate ODA Scholarship at the University of Cambridge. He is a Member of the East Africa Law Society and a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society.

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Leicester
• Master of Laws (LL.M.), University of Cambridge
• Post Graduate Diploma in Law, Kenya School of Law
• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), University of Nairobi
• Advocate and Commissioner for Oaths

• Member, Law Society of Kenya
• Member, East Africa Law Society
• Fellow, Cambridge Commonwealth Society
• Research Fellow, Centre for Legal Integration in Africa, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
• Consultant, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Nairobi
• Lead Consultant, M/s Wabwile & Co. Advocates, Nakuru (Clinical services suite)

• Wabwile, M. N. (2010). Legal Protection of Social and Economic Rights of Children in the Developing World: Reassessing International Cooperation and Responsibility. Intersentia, Antwerp (ISBN 978-94-000-0107-7; xiv+258pp).
• Wabwile, M. N. (2026). Human Rights Protection Systems. Forthcoming.

• Wabwile, M. N. (2026). “When Labour Law Fails: Towards human rights approaches to employee retrenchments in Kenya.” Global Labour Journal (in review).
• Wabwile, M. N. (2026). “Parental Responsibility and Rights-claims in the Unwed Family in Kenya.” International Journal of Law and Society (in review).
• Wabwile, M. N. (2018). “South Africa’s Proposed Exit from the Rome Statute: Alternative Perspectives.” African Journal of Legal Studies 11, pp. 117–140.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2018). “Failed anti-corruption law reforms: what options for the developing world?.” Law Society of Kenya Journal, pp. 1–18.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2017). “Human Rights and Family Policy issues in Kenya’s Marriage Act 2014.” African Journal of Constitutional and Comparative Law 2, pp. 67–98.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2017). “Realising Children’s Economic and Social Rights: Towards Rights-based Global Action Strategies.” In M. Ruck, M. Peterson-Badali & M. Freeman (eds), Handbook of Children’s Rights: Global and Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Taylor & Francis, London), ch. 11, pp. 163–183.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2015). “Transnational Corruption, Violations of Human Rights and States’ Extraterritorial Responsibility: a case for International Action Strategies.” African Journal of Legal Studies 7, pp. 87–114.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2014). “International Human Rights and States’ Extraterritorial Responsibility.” In M. Gibney & A. Mihr (eds), Sage Handbook of Human Rights (Sage, London), ch. 55, pp. 994–1014.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2013). “(Economic) Crimes Against Humanity.” In W. Vandenhole & M. Gibney (eds), Litigating International Human Rights (Routledge), ch. 14, pp. 221–236.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2013). “The Emerging Juridical Status of International Law in Kenya.” Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 13(1), pp. 167–189.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2013). “The Potential and Promise of Communications Procedures under the Third Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (with Trevor Buck).” International Human Rights Law Review 2, pp. 205–239.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2010). “Implementing the social and economic rights of children in developing countries: The Place of International Assistance and Cooperation.” International Journal of Children’s Rights 18(3), pp. 355–385.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2009). “Re-examining States’ External Obligations to Implement Economic and Social Rights of Children.” Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence XXII(2), pp. 407–450.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2005). “Rights Brought Home? Human Rights in Kenya’s Children Act 2001.” In A. Bainham (ed.), International Survey of Family Law (Jordan Publishing, Bristol), pp. 393–415.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2003). “The Place of English Law in Kenya.” Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 3, pp. 51–80.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2002). “The Future of the Common Law in Kenya.” Eastern African Law Review 20–27, pp. 20–32.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2001). “Child Support Rights in Kenya and in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989.” In A. Bainham (ed.), International Survey of Family Law (Jordan Publishing, Bristol), pp. 267–284.
• Wabwile, M. N. (2000). “Anton Piller Orders Revisited.” Journal of Business Law, pp. 387–404.

• Wabwile, M. (2024). Draft Advocates Training Program Policy (with James Nombi). 15 March 2024.
• Wabwile, M. (2024). Draft Legal Education (Advocates Training Program) Regulations (with James Nombi). 15 March 2024.
• Wabwile, M. (2024). Draft Legal Education (Advocates Training Program) Standards and Guidelines (with James Nombi). 15 March 2024.
• Wabwile, M. (2023). Marking the Goal Posts: A Working Paper on the Advocates Training Program Policy Review (with James Nombi). 15 May 2023.
• Wabwile, M. (2019). Policy Review of the KEPHIS (Fees and Charges) Rules, 2017 (with M. Ayieko, L. Kirimi and T. Njagi). Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Egerton University, 31 May 2019.
• Wabwile, M. (2018). Policy Review of the Coffee Regulations 2016 (with M. Ayieko, L. Kirimi and T. Njagi). Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Egerton University, 31 March 2018.