The 8th edition of the Moot Competition took place in September 2025, featuring a great battle between the 2nd-year team of Doris Kidero & Angelou Aduke and the 1st-year team of Abigail Nimurungi & Hazel Githaiga. The 2nd year team emerged best.

“Some people told us first years never go far, but we believed in giving it our best shot. It always seems impossible until it’s done, and we can redefine what’s possible and set new standards; Do not let anyone define who you are.” 

These are the words of Abigail Nimurungi and Hazel Githaiga, the first-year students who defied the odds to emerge as 1st Runners-Up in the 2025 Cindy Wakio Internal Moot Court Competition. The two received honourable mentions for their outstanding performance in their very first mooting experience.

The Cindy Wakio Moot is an internal annual moot that celebrates the life and legacy of Cindy Wakio, one of the most accomplished mooters to have represented Strathmore Law School (SLS) on the global stage.

In this edition, SLS honoured the memory of the late Eugene Kanyugo, a mooter, alumnus, and graduate assistant who was an integral part of our mooting culture at SLS. The late Eugene coached several teams that performed exemplary well in their various capacities. During his time at SLS, he won numerous moots, and his spirit, along with that of Cindy, will continue to live on in the next generation of mooters.

The Cindy Wakio Moot serves as a stepping stone for law students to build on their oratory skills, as well as research and confidence, and for the selection of mooters to represent SLS in different moots, both nationally and internationally. 

The Birth of a Mooting Journey

For Abigail, the moot dream began even before she joined SLS. “I first heard about Strathmore’s mooting culture through LinkedIn,” she recalls. “I came across a post celebrating SLS’s victory in the All Kenyan Moot Court Competition, and I was instantly drawn in.” She also learned about the Cindy Wakio Moot through the same platform from Charity Gachunga, one of Strathmore Law School’s best mooters.

Hazel’s story began at home. “My dad told me, ‘I would like you to go to Strathmore, they have a great mooting culture,’” she says. It wasn’t until orientation week that she truly understood what mooting was, thanks to presentations by Fiona Mwaura and Albert Macharia, both accomplished mooters and now Graduate Assistants at SLS.

Despite being new, the two were inspired by the legacy of mooters who had walked before them. Students who started with Cindy Wakio and went on to represent SLS in prestigious competitions such as Jessup, ICC, John H. Jackson, and Nuremberg.

The Village That Built Them

Their preparation journey was anything but smooth.  “We were quite disorganized,” they admit with a laugh. But that changed when Charlotte Mwathi, last year’s Cindy Wakio Moot winner, noticed their potential and volunteered to coach them. “She picked us up, structured us and built a whole village of mooters around us; Sagal Adan, Asma Mohammed, Ivan Kiriga and Kwezi Mpyisi, who really pushed them to become better,” they recall fondly.

Training was intense, often stretching late into the night. “We’d leave school at 9 p.m. after practice,” they say. “Before every session, we prayed. Putting God first gave us the strength to keep going.”

But not everything went according to plan. Midway through preparation, their researcher dropped out. “We really had to regroup,” they say. Thankfully, Derrick Mbote stepped in and helped the team realign and regain momentum.

Mooting as a Test of Spirit

“Mooting teaches resilience,” Abigail says. “You need a goal that’s bigger than yourself. A vision that keeps you going, even when it gets tough.”

Hazel adds, “Teamwork was everything. If I had a partner I wasn’t comfortable with, it would have been difficult. But passion made it easier.”

When their names were announced as first runners-up, the two were overwhelmed with gratitude. “It felt like God had acknowledged our hard work,” Abigail and Hazel remark. “People had told us the first years never go far, but I think we proved it’s possible.”

Abigail quotes these words: “It always seems impossible until it’s done. You can redefine ceilings and standards. Don’t let anyone define who you are.”

They also expressed deep appreciation to their coaches, who went above and beyond, even lending them mooting files, flashcards, and blazers for presentations.

Cindy Wakio is Proud

Both have their eyes on the future as Abigail hopes to compete in the Jessup Moot, the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from roughly 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions. Hazel aspires to join the Nuremberg Competition, an international competition held in Nuremberg, Germany. University teams from all over the world are invited to argue a fictitious case before the “International Criminal Court” during the competition. She hopes to help SLS perform even better next time. They both hope to become Graduate Assistants and mentor upcoming mooters, just as others believed in them.

“Knowing that someone picked us up and believed in us really mattered,” they say. “Now, we promise to do the same for others.”

Their advice to future mooters, “Even if you’re scared, just do it,” added Abigail and Hazel. “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you,” adds Abigail, quoting Joshua 1:9.

For Abigail and Hazel, this was a calling. Something bigger than just a competition. A testament that courage, preparation, and faith can redefine what’s possible.

Indeed, Cindy Wakio is proud.

Article written by Evans Ijakaa.