NAIROBI – Kenya has lost one of its brightest legal minds, a resolute defender of justice, and a deeply principled voice in matters of national conscience. Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee passed away on April 5, 2025, at the age of 84. His death marks the end of a monumental chapter in Kenya’s legal, human rights, and democratic history. But even in passing, his legacy will remain woven into the very fabric of the nation he so diligently served.
Born in 1941, Pheroze Nowrojee hailed from a family steeped in Kenya’s early history. His grandfather, arrived in East Africa in April 1896 as an engine driver for the Uganda Railway, an experience Nowrojee once eloquently described as a turning point for his family in his moving memoir A Kenyan Journey (2015). That book, both poetic and political, not only traces his family’s trajectory but also acts as a personal reflection on colonialism, migration, and the formation of Kenya as a modern nation.
This strong sense of rootedness and identity would become a guiding light throughout Nowrojee’s six-decade career, a career shaped by his deep commitment to justice, human dignity, and the rule of law.
Nowrojee was called to the Bar in Kenya in 1965 and later obtained a Master of Laws from Yale University. His early legal training in both Kenya and the United States gave him a unique blend of local understanding and global perspective, a duality that informed his work throughout his life.
Over the years, he became widely regarded not only for his deep legal intellect but also for his quiet charisma, humility, and sharp analytical mind. He was often described as a lawyer’s lawyer, the kind of advocate who pursued justice over grandstanding, and who believed in the sanctity of the Constitution, even in the most turbulent political climates.
During Kenya’s darkest political moments, particularly under the one-party regime of the 1980s and 1990s, Pheroze Nowrojee stood firm in defense of human rights and constitutionalism. He represented numerous political detainees, activists, journalists, and opposition leaders who were victims of state oppression.
He was not just a lawyer; he was a moral compass in an era where many chose silence. As he once noted in a public lecture, “The lawyer’s duty is not just to argue the law. It is to argue justice, even if that justice is inconvenient to power.”
Beyond the courtroom, Nowrojee played a critical role in shaping Kenya’s legal philosophy. He published widely on constitutional law, human rights, and the importance of judicial independence. His essays and speeches are studied by law students and legal scholars alike, revered not just for their insight but for the grace with which they are written.
Despite his towering intellect, he was immensely generous with his time and knowledge. He mentored generations of lawyers, judges, and scholars, many of whom now occupy senior positions across the country’s legal institutions. He believed mentorship was not an option but an obligation, and he fulfilled it with characteristic humility and grace.
ICJ Kenya Jurist of the Year Award
In 1995, the Kenyan section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya) awarded Pheroze Nowrojee the Jurist of the Year, a recognition reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights, justice, and the rule of law.
In the citation leading to his recognition, he was hailed for consistently, fearlessly and impartially promoting the rule of law and human rights in Kenya and across Africa.
Over the years, SC Nowrojee immensely contributed to ICJ Kenya’s mission and work. His unwavering support, wisdom, and commitment to justice enriched the organization and helped shape its impact on Kenya’s legal landscape.
Even in his later years, Nowrojee remained active in public life. In August 2024, he delivered a memorable keynote address at the Law Society of Kenya Annual Conference in Diani, Kwale. His speech, touching on the moral obligations of lawyers in times of political uncertainty, earned him a standing ovation.
Pheroze Nowrojee was not confined by the courtroom. He was a poet, a historian, a public intellectual, and a quiet revolutionary. He believed in the dignity of all people, regardless of their station, and he used his voice and his pen to ensure that dignity was recognized in law and in practice.
As Kenya mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished sons, it is incumbent upon the legal community and the nation at large to carry forward his legacy. Not merely by memorializing his name, but by living the values he espoused: justice, integrity, humility, and above all, service to humanity.
SC Pheroze Life in Highlights
Pheroze Nowrojee, Senior Counsel, was an Advocate of the High Courts of Kenya (1967), Tanzania (1970) and Zanzibar (1989) with a practice mainly in constitutional, political and human rights cases.
He has also appeared in the High Courts of Uganda and the Seychelles. Born in Nairobi, he studied in India (B.A., Bombay, 1957), in the U.K. (Of Lincoln’s Inn, Barrister, 1965) and in the U.S.A. (LL.M., Yale, 1974). He has taught at the University of Dar-es-Salaam (1974-1977), the University of Nairobi (1979-1985), and the Kenya School of Law (1968-1970, 1978-1985).
He is the author of Pio Gama Pinto: Patriot for Social Justice (2007), A Vote for Kenya: The Elections and the Constitution (2013), A Kenyan Journey (2014), and Conserving the Intangible (2015).
His awards include the International Commission of Jurists (Kenya) ICJ Jurist of the Year, 1995, the International Bar Association (IBA) Bernard Simons Human Rights Prize, 2002-2004, the Law Society of Kenya Roll of Honour, 2005, the Maasai People, Safeguarding Rights Award, 2007, and the CB Madan Constitution Prize 2014.
His political offices include FORD-Kenya, Member of National Executive Council (NEC), 1992-1999, FORD-Kenya, Secretary for Legal & Constitutional Affairs, 1994-1999, National Treasurer, Social Democratic Party, 2002-2012.
He was Vice-Chair, Ufungamano People’s Commission on Constitutional Reform 2000–2001. Over many decades he has been an influential part of the political and social movements for constitutional and social change in Kenya. He is a Co-Chair of the Asian African Heritage Trust, an Indian Diaspora/Kenyan history trust. He is the author of several books, and of numerous articles on law, Kenyan public affairs, and legal history. He is a BBC Africa Poetry Competition Prizewinner (2001).
Nowrojee cited the nullification of the 2017 presidential election in Kenya by the Supreme Court and the lifting of the ban on the Nairobi Law Monthly magazine during the KANU regime as some of is stand out cases.