The East African Law Journal is the faculty-run Journal of the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Law. Since the 1960s, the Journal has published papers by legal scholars and practitioners in Kenya and the East African region, as well as by researchers from all over the world interested in law in East Africa. However, the collapse of the East African Community in 1977 was followed by the lapse of the publication of the Journal, which was at the time edited jointly by the Faculty of Law and the Community. Since then, there have been international, regional, and national legal developments. Therefore, when the Journal was revived in the mid-2000s, its objective was to provide a forum for scholars in the region and the world to publish their academic papers on diverse topical legal issues, relevant to law in East Africa.

The focus of the Journal is law in East Africa, and the broader issues affecting its development and operation in the region. The objective of the Journal remains the encouragement of the process of research by publishing cutting-edge research in specific areas of law in East Africa. Founded on the tenets of integrity in the research process and relevance of information in the field of law, the Journal is a useful tool for those who are conducting research, those who teach, and those who study law.

The Journal also has a strong tradition of encouraging student mentorship, and it has provided opportunities through which students are encouraged to carry out and publish research. This is one of the main areas where the East African Law Journal has fostered the process of developing transferable skills in research and ensuring that these skills are indeed transferred effectively. The Journal is therefore an integral part of the teaching and learning process at the Faculty of Law, whereby students are taught and equipped with practical skills to enable them to conduct research.