Nairobi Members of County Assembly( MCAs) have cleared the way for renaming of one of the city roads in honour of the late Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee.
The legislators on Tuesday afternoon unanimously adopted a motion moved by Nairobi South B MCA Waithera Chege.
Pheroze Nowrojee was a renowned Kenyan human rights lawyer and senior counsel who passed away on April 5, 2025, at the age of 84 in the United States. He is laregely remembered as a stalwart defender of democracy, justice, and liberation, and his contributions to Kenya’s legal, human rights, and democratic history remain immeasurable.
In her motion,Chege described Pheroze as a “distinguished and patriotic Kenyan lawyer, human rights defender, a poet, historian and patriot; who made indelible contributions to the Nation through his dedicated service and deep commitment to justice, human dignity, and the rule of law,”Nowrojee represented numerous political detainees, activists, journalists, and opposition leaders who were victims of state oppression, particularly during the one-party regime in Kenya.
He was an advocate of the High Courts of Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, with a practice mainly in constitutional, political, and human rights cases.
He also invested in mentoring the next generation of lawyers, judges, and scholars, shaping legal philosophy in Kenya and beyond.
He wrote several books, including “A Kenyan Journey” and “Pio Gama Pinto: Patriot for Social Justice,” and was a BBC Africa Poetry Competition Prize winner.
His remarkable work saw the International Commission of Jurists (Kenya) award him the Jurist of the Year award in 1995 and the International Bar Association (IBA) Bernard Simons Human Rights Prize (2002-2004).
Nowrojee was also recognized for his contributions to the legal profession and human rights in 2005.
