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What does your job entail?

I am a lawyer working in the field of Transitional Justice. Currently, I work for International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).  ICTJ works with societies that have experienced massive human rights violations as a result of conflict or repressive rule. ICTJ helps such societies address these violations through certain mechanisms aimed at ensuring redress for victims and non-repetition of the said violations. These mechanisms include: institutional reforms, truth telling and memorialisation, gender justice, criminal accountability, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition.

You have worked widely in the area of “gender justice”. What is the difference between “justice” and “gender justice”? Why does the latter need a label?

Gender Justice is a form of justice pursued to ensure gendered implications of conflict or repressive rule are dealt with adequately and in a gender-sensitive approach.

Gender Justice ensures victims, survivors and marginalised members of society are given an opportunity to have their issues and concerns included in the larger justice discussion. Gendered violations are often pushed to the margins if not given special attention because of societal attitudes and obstacles, thus the need for the label.

These violations include sexual violence during conflict, whether targeted at women or men and their attendant consequences, vulnerabilities women are exposed to during conflict, hindrances placed on women as they pursue redress, among others. 

What has been the greatest lesson, thus far, in your legal career?

It helps to always keep an open mind and be willing to learn from those you interact with, no matter who they are.  Also, reading never stops.

For young law students, out there, what opportunities should they look out for?

I think they should pursue what interests them because there is so much one can do in the legal profession. While doing so, they should keep an open mind.

How can they prepare for such opportunities (apart from classwork)? 

They should look for internship/volunteer opportunities in companies, organisations or communities they hope to work in. This exposes them to what it will entail once they pursue that area of work.  Also, actively getting involved with the various legal clinics in their law schools can provide them with an opportunity to get practical skills.

What was for you the greatest challenge when you started out your career?

Not having a mentor. Mentors are very valuable because they help guide you as you make key decisions in your professional life.

What informed the choice of your specialisation area?

While in fourth year, I did a course on International Humanitarian Law, the branch of law that deals with armed conflict. For my fourth-year dissertation topic, I decided to research on the Lords’ Resistance Army rebellion in Northern Uganda. This exposed me to experiences of societies affected by conflict and the challenges they face while trying to reconstruct after conflict. That ignited my interest and thus my choice in this area of specialisation.

From your perspective, is there enough constitutional awareness among young people in Kenya?

No, which is unfortunate. The danger of this is that one can easily be taken advantage of by those who deem themselves powerful. Our constitution provides us with a wide range of rights that are essential in our day to day lives and opportunities for recourse in case these rights are violated. Knowledge of the constitution in my opinion, is thus a necessity.

What are some of the realities in the legal profession that you think law schools do not prepare their students for?

What you are taught in Law School is just a fraction of what you will experience when you begin your career. You however get the hang of it through experience and interacting with those who are already in the profession. My advice is, don’t be afraid to ask questions, seek help when you need it and be confident in your abilities.

What courses or professional trainings would you recommend to a law student who wants to specialise in the area of human rights?

Courses on constitutional law and human rights law are vital. Also, look and apply for short courses in organisations and universities that offer a range of courses in human rights law such as the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. There is also a lot of material available on the Internet that can be valuable. Most human rights organisations and human rights centers of various universities internationally allow you to access such material for free.

What didn’t you know at 24 that you think would have made a difference in your career if you did know?

Things don’t always go as planned, as such, it helps to be open-minded. I refused to take on certain opportunities because I was very focused on what I wanted to do, forgetting that sometimes you need to take on the opportunity that is available as you work towards what you eventually want.

What were some of your greatest challenges when you initially started out your career?

When you are starting out, you have very little bargaining power, which means many things: from not been able to choose assignments that you want to getting poor pay to lack of self confidence in your ability to deliver. It helps a lot to have a boss and colleagues that are invested in helping you learn.

What is your most treasured university memory?

I have many treasured memories, but I think the one that stands out is meeting people from different walks of life who expose you to new things. My most treasured friendships today are those that I made when in university.