NAIROBI, Kenya – 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 remains 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 later described as a turning point for his family in his 2015 memoir A Kenyan Journey.
The book, both poetic and political, traces his family’s trajectory while offering a deeply personal reflection on colonialism, migration, and the formation of modern Kenya.
This strong sense of rootedness and identity became a guiding light throughout Nowrojee’s six-decade career — a career shaped by an unwavering commitment to justice, human dignity, and the rule of law.
Nowrojee was called to the Bar in Kenya in 1965 and later earned a Master of Laws degree from Yale University.
His 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 formidable 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 deeply in the sanctity of the Constitution, even in Kenya’s 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 repression.
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 helped shape 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, admired not just for their insight but for the grace with which they were written.
Despite his towering intellect, Nowrojee was immensely generous with his time and knowledge.
He mentored generations of lawyers, judges, and scholars, many of whom now occupy senior positions across Kenya’s legal institutions.
He believed mentorship was not optional but a responsibility — one he fulfilled with humility and grace.
Nowrojee passed away on Saturday morning in the US at the age of 84.
He was, until his death, the Chair of the Asian African Heritage Trust, an organization that played a significant role in advancing Kenya’s standing in diplomacy, peace, and education globally.
He also served as convener and spokesperson for the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC), a crucial platform in Kenya’s pro-democracy movement.
