In February 2020, a team of four students from Strathmore Law School traveled 4500 kilometers to represent Strathmore University at the 12^th edition of the GNLU International Moot Court Competition in Gujarat, India.

The team comprised of Joy Mvatie, Tracey Andere, Kiai Gachanja and Kelly Nyaga. In 2019, two of the team members, Kelly Nyaga and Joy Mvatie together with Mishael Wambua, represented Strathmore at the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) International Arbitration moot in Miami where Joy won the Manuela Beltran Woman Advocate award for being the best female oralist from the Global South.

The competition, which is held in Gujarat National Law University, was launched in 2009 and has since had 12 successful editions in which it has hosted participants from over 20 different countries. It focuses its scope on the field of international trade law and tackles emerging issues through cleverly compiled case problems that participants are expected to make written and oral submissions on. This year’s case concerned the era of social media and its nexus with state regulation which is indeed a relevant topic.

Grueling five-day competition

Moreover, this year over 60 teams took part in the grueling five-day competition where knowledge of international trade law as well as oral skills were put to the test. The judges were all experts in this field of law. They spared no breath in asking questions and giving feedback because beyond this being a competition it was also a learning process. After the first two days of preliminary rounds, only eight teams proceeded to the advanced rounds with Strathmore University being among the eight. The team managed to reach the quarterfinals where it was eliminated.

While the primary goal was to do well in the competition, the team could not help but be immersed in the diversity of cultures which was expressed through the spicy food and multitude of colours all round. Additionally, the city of Gujarat -which is a world heritage city- is strewn with architectural marvels such as the Adalaj Stepwell, an icon the team had a chance to see. All in all, the competition provided four eager students with a learning and networking platform among many other skills that they will carry with them into their legal professions.  For this the team is grateful to Strathmore University for the opportunity of a lifetime which will hopefully will be extended to future teams.

This article was written by Kelly Nyaga. 

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