17–24 November 2026 | Training
25–26 November 2026 | Accreditation Assessment
In-Person | Venue to be communicated
Disputes are inevitable — but how we resolve them can make all the difference.
For businesses, organisations and individuals, prolonged disputes can consume time, resources and relationships. Mediation provides an opportunity to approach conflict differently: by bringing parties together, helping them understand the issues that matter to each side, and supporting them in finding solutions that they can own.
But effective mediation requires more than simply being a good listener.
It requires skill, structure, emotional intelligence, preparation and the ability to manage a process from conflict to resolution.
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb), Kenya Branch Commercial Mediation Training & Accreditation Programme is designed to give professionals the practical skills they need to develop as effective mediators and pursue a pathway towards Ciarb mediation accreditation.
Mediation is becoming an increasingly important part of Kenya’s dispute resolution landscape.
Article 159(2)(c) of the Constitution of Kenya recognises alternative forms of dispute resolution, including mediation. The continued growth of court-annexed and private mediation has increased the need for professionals who understand not only the theory of mediation, but also how to manage a mediation effectively in practice.
For lawyers, arbitrators, adjudicators, HR professionals, business leaders and other professionals who regularly encounter conflict, mediation is becoming an increasingly valuable professional skill.
It is not simply another ADR process to understand.
It is a skill that can change how you approach conflict.
A good mediator does not decide who is right or wrong.
A mediator creates a process through which parties can have productive conversations, identify their interests, explore options and make informed decisions about how they want to resolve their dispute.
That requires the mediator to know:
These are practical skills, and they improve through structured training, practice and feedback.
This is not simply a course where participants sit in a room listening to lectures about mediation.
The programme is designed around practical learning and skills development.
Over eight days, participants will have the opportunity to learn, practise and refine the skills required to manage mediation effectively.
The training will include:
The objective is to move participants from understanding mediation to being able to apply mediation skills in practice.
Participants will develop knowledge and practical skills across the full mediation process.
Effective mediation begins before the parties enter the room.
Participants will explore how to prepare for a mediation, understand the dispute and establish an appropriate environment for the process.
The opening stage can shape the entire mediation.
Participants will learn about opening statements, storytelling, setting expectations and creating an environment conducive to constructive dialogue.
Parties do not always express what they truly need.
A skilled mediator must be able to move beyond stated positions and explore the interests, concerns and priorities underlying the dispute.
Mediation can involve strong emotions, mistrust and difficult personalities.
Participants will develop techniques for managing challenging interactions while keeping the mediation process constructive.
The mediator’s role is not to impose a solution.
Instead, the mediator facilitates a process through which parties can explore options and negotiate towards an outcome that works for them.
A mediation does not simply end when the parties shake hands.
Participants will explore how to bring the mediation to an appropriate conclusion and ensure that the outcome is properly understood.
Following the eight-day training programme, participants will undertake the Commercial Mediation Accreditation Assessment on 25th and 26th November 2026.
The assessment will give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their mediation skills through practical exercises.
Candidates will:
Assessment will focus on:
Can you communicate effectively, build rapport and manage relationships between parties?
Can you understand and apply the mediation process effectively?
Can you manage the room, the parties, the issues and the progression of the mediation?
These skills go to the heart of professional mediation practice.
Even for professionals who do not intend to become full-time mediators, mediation skills can have significant value.
Lawyers can use mediation skills when negotiating settlements.
Managers can use them when resolving workplace conflict.
HR professionals can use them when dealing with employee disputes.
Business leaders can use them when managing commercial disagreements.
Arbitrators and adjudicators can use them to improve communication and conflict-management skills.
The ability to manage conflict is a professional skill that travels with you.
For those who want to pursue mediation professionally, this programme provides an important opportunity to begin or advance their journey with Ciarb.
Successful candidates can continue developing their professional mediation qualifications and pursue the applicable Ciarb membership and accreditation pathway, subject to meeting the relevant requirements.
The programme can therefore be viewed not simply as an eight-day training course, but as an opportunity to begin building a longer-term professional practice in mediation and ADR.
The programme is suitable for:
17th – 24th November 2026
25th – 26th November 2026
Format: In-person
Venue: To be communicated
The programme will be delivered by senior practising mediators with extensive experience in commercial and court-annexed mediation.
Kshs 130,000
Includes:
Flexible instalment options are available.
Kshs 60,000
Kshs 70,000
NCBA Bank – Mama Ngina Street Branch
Account Name: Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Account Number: 6435390017
M-Pesa Paybill: 975743
Account: 40HRNOV26
Participants should use their name as the payment reference and provide proof of payment.
The programme is designed to provide meaningful practical training, and places are therefore limited.
If you have been considering developing your mediation skills, this is an opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners, practise the process and receive structured feedback.
Becoming an effective mediator is not about memorising a process.
It is about learning how to listen, communicate, manage, facilitate, negotiate and guide parties through difficult conversations.
Those skills are developed through practice.
This November, take the opportunity to invest in those skills and begin or strengthen your journey towards professional mediation practice.
17–24 November 2026 — Commercial Mediation Training: https://forms.gle/M81Kc3w9KSFbPm2w7
25–26 November 2026 — Accreditation Assessment
Join Ciarb Kenya and develop the skills to turn conflict into constructive conversation.
Don’t just understand mediation. Learn to mediate.
CIArb Kenya Branch Chairman FCS Jaqueline Waihenya expresses her deepest gratitude to all the valued partners, fellows, and members who attended the significant event of celebrating 40 Years of Excellence
Research, Development and Innovation Assistant Murithi Antony is the Research, Development and Innovation Assistant at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), Kenya Branch, where he leads the Branch’s research, knowledge
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