Kenyan IT guru builds AI-powered super lawyer with knowledge of all Kenyan laws

Obwoni witnessed firsthand his father's struggle to obtain justice. And this was because the dad was not familiar with the legal framework and judicial systems of the country. 

Challenged, he embarked on coming up with a solution for ordinary Kenyans to have access to all legal matters and judicial systems of Kenya. 

Obwoni trained as an IT practitioner, and went on to develop several solutions, leveraging on emerging technologies.

One of his innovations is Wakili, an Artificial Intelligence-powered super lawyer with the knowledge of all Kenyan laws and judicial systems. 

"We try to democratise law, to democratise the legal fraternity. Democratisation here means, there was an opportunity in the world now about AI, then we said let’s be the first company that uses AI for social good. So we’ve developed Wakili so that anybody can go there because it understands every other law in Kenya and even in the Commonwealth. We’ve been able to allow it understand all laws in Kenya in both English and fluent Swahili," Obwoni says of his innovation.

All you need to do is access Wakili on your mobile or computer browser, type in your question either in Swahili, English, Spanish, French or Italian, and you have answers coming to you.

Obwoni says Wakili has been trained to respond in English, Swahili, Spanish, Italian, French and Mandarin. 

"So if today I have land issues I need to know what is my recourse, somebody has conned me, or you want a divorce, how do I go through the process? They just need to type there in Swahili or English. That super lawyer who understands all the laws in this country will be able to advise you, give the legal implications and tell you the clauses in the constitution that you have a recourse," he narrates how Wakili works. 

Wakili has been developed to target everyone interested in legal matters, from common Mwananchi to legal practitioners and even organisations looking to draft legal documents. 

So far, 1200 people have used the services of Wakili, among them a top law firm in Upperhill Nairobi.

Geoffrey Nyaanga, an advocate of the high court of Kenya, says he uses the platform for research purposes in his law firm Nyaanga & Mugisha Advocates.

"It’s a great source of general legal knowledge. One good thing about it is that it also brings specifics, it identifies for you the aspects of the law or the statutes that you might require in any piece of information you are looking for. As a one-stop shop you will be able to find quite a bit of information and interact with, whether you are a lawyer, a layman or any person who wants information generally," Nyaanga said. 

Anyone can access Wakili for only Ksh. 50 and type in whatever legal questions they have, and the answers will start trickling in.

Wakili is a Kenyan version of the well-known Chat GPT, but it now focuses on Kenyan laws and judicial systems.

One of the most difficult challenges Obwoni is currently facing is opposition from a group of lawyers who believe the innovation is here to replace them.

"There are lawyers who are not receptive to this because they think it is going to replace them. But we say Wakili is not replacing lawyers. It’s making lawyers up their game, it will make it easier for lawyers not to charge their clients legal fees which they necessarily don’t need to charge them. It is going to democratise law so that it’s not a preserve of a few," he adds.

His sentiments are shared by Nyaanga, who claims that Wakili will not replace human lawyers because it cannot decide cases.

According to Nyaanga, Wakili can only help lawyers with research and disseminate judicial information.

"It’s a great source for research, but it doesn’t go specific to deciding cases. If I were him then I would be looking to add such information. Remember legal practice, especially in dispute resolution, is dependent on decided cases and the development of decided cases which we call precedent, over a period of time," Nyaanga avers. 

The Law Society of Kenya has also welcomed innovations leveraging emerging technologies to help the legal field grow. 

While the society is unaware of Obwoni's innovation, LSK President Eric Theuri stated that the society is open to the use of technology to improve legal practice in the country.

According to Theuri, AI will not replace human lawyers because it lacks several human characteristics.

"AI is a programme, it is not a brain. The human brain is able to perceive certain things. It is able to perceive intelligence, emotions, feelings, looks, body expressions and it's able to interpret that in terms of what they mean. But AI is so much about the information that the creator gives it. And so it comes with the natural biases of the creator," Theuri said. 

He added that all these aspects are essential in the legal profession.