Kenya’s Strathmore University Wins Africa’s Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition
Kenya’s Strathmore University has been crowned the overall winner of the 17th Africa Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, held over two days at Casa Toscana Convention Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.
The competition, hosted by South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in partnership with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), brought together university law students from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe to argue complex hypothetical disputes in international space law before a simulated International Court of Justice.
Across Five Nations, a High Standard of Legal Craft
Strathmore University’s victory was part of a strong overall performance from Kenyan institutions. The University of Pretoria was awarded First Runner-Up, while Augustine Mudzodza from Zimbabwe’s Midlands State University received the Best Oralist Award. Kenya’s Kabarak University took home the Best Memorial Award.
The 2026 edition was held under the theme “Empowering Africa’s Future in Space Governance for Sustainable Space Activities,” with a focus on strengthening Africa’s legal, policy, and institutional capacity within the global space economy.
The Stakes of the Competition
Presiding over the final round, the President of the Court of Appeal in Kenya, Honourable Justice Daniel Kiio Musinga, praised the quality of advocacy and legal reasoning on display throughout the proceedings.
“I am persuaded that the future of African international lawyering is in very good hands. It is not elsewhere, it is right in this room,” he said.
Justice Musinga also issued a broader call to the next generation of African legal minds. “For most of its history, that architecture has been built by hands other than ours. The work of this generation is to convert our seats at the table from courtesy into authorship.”
Months of Preparation, One Defining Moment
For Strathmore University’s Megan Wanjiru Nsuguna, the victory was the culmination of months of gruelling preparation. “The preparations for this started in December last year. It has been quite crazy, with lots of sleepless nights, but today was a validation that your work pays off in the end. Nothing goes unnoticed,” she said.
She described the experience of competing against students from across the continent as one of the competition’s most rewarding dimensions. “It became an exchange of ideas and perspectives, which was very interesting.”
Nsuguna also had a message for young people considering careers in law. “Do it scared, do it when you do not know anything, just do it. If you put your mind into something, do it, and if you are doing it, be the best at it.”
What Comes Next
Strathmore University will now represent both Kenya and Africa at the World Finals, scheduled to take place during the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye later this year.
The competition also forms part of broader efforts by South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and SANSA to develop Africa’s next generation of legal experts, policymakers, negotiators, and regulators in the global space sector. It was held on the margins of the Inaugural Africa Space Policy and Law Conference, hosted by the University of Pretoria and McGill University from 28-29 May 2026, where continental and international policymakers, academics, and industry leaders gathered to deliberate on space governance and Africa’s strategic role in the global space economy.
Kenya’s win is a timely reminder that Africa’s growing ambitions in space are being matched by the talent and determination of its emerging generation.