NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and renowned human rights lawyer Pheroze Nowrojee are among 242 Kenyans nominated posthumously for national hero status in 2026.
The National Heroes Council (NHC) has included the two among a wide-ranging list of Kenyans proposed for recognition for their contributions to the country’s liberation struggle, democracy, constitutional development, governance, public service and other areas of national life.
A document obtained on September 2 shows that Odinga was nominated in recognition of his contribution as a statesman, patriot and constitutional reformer who played a significant role in Kenya’s democratic development.
The list also includes independence-era freedom fighter and journalist Pio Gama Pinto, Bomet’s first female governor Dr Joyce Laboso, former Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, former Attorney General Githu Muigai and Central Bank of Kenya Governor Kamau Thugge.
Raila honoured for democratic reforms
According to the Council, Odinga’s nomination recognises his role in the struggle for multiparty democracy in the 1990s.
That campaign helped challenge Kenya’s one-party political system and contributed to the expansion of political freedoms.
Odinga later served as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 under the Grand Coalition Government.
The Council also cited his role in constitutional reform, including the political process that culminated in the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
His nomination comes months after his death, with the former Prime Minister’s decades-long political career having been closely associated with campaigns for multiparty democracy, constitutional reform and expanded political participation.
Pheroze Nowrojee recognised for human rights work
Nowrojee, one of Kenya’s most prominent constitutional lawyers and human rights defenders, has also been nominated posthumously.
In its assessment, the National Heroes Council described him as one of Kenya’s most influential human rights lawyers, highlighting his defence of proponents of democratic change during the one-party era.
The Council said his work contributed to the return of multiparty politics in the early 1990s and to constitutional reforms that eventually produced the 2010 Constitution.
It also credited him with pioneering the use of medical forensics to strengthen accountability and assist the administration of justice.
Nowrojee died in April 2025 aged 84.
Second major honour for Nowrojee
The national hero nomination comes after Nairobi County honoured Nowrojee by renaming a city road after him.
On May 5, 2026, Galana Road in Kilimani was renamed Pheroze Nowrojee Road during a ceremony attended by former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, PLP Leader Martha Karua, activist Boniface Mwangi and human rights lawyer Gitobu Imanyara, among others.
The initiative was supported by Amnesty International Kenya through its former executive director Houghton Irungu and the Kilimani Project Foundation.
It followed an earlier proposal by Nairobi MCAs to rename the road in recognition of Nowrojee.
A motion introduced by Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege was subsequently approved, paving the way for the formal street-renaming process.
A towering figure in Kenya’s legal history
Born in 1941 in Nairobi, Nowrojee was widely regarded as a leading constitutional lawyer, legal scholar and human rights defender in East Africa.
He came from a family with longstanding historical links to Kenya, with his grandfather having arrived in East Africa during the construction of the Uganda Railway in 1896.
Throughout his career, Nowrojee participated in landmark constitutional and human rights cases and advocated for constitutionalism, democracy and the rule of law.
His work during Kenya’s major constitutional reform periods contributed to the broader campaign for institutional and democratic change that culminated in the 2010 Constitution.
Pio Gama Pinto also nominated
Independence hero Pio Gama Pinto is another prominent name on the list.
Pinto, a journalist and socialist thinker of Goan-Kenyan heritage, has been recognised for his contribution to Kenya’s liberation struggle and his advocacy for social justice.
The Council said Pinto used journalism as a tool for political mobilisation and championed workers’ rights and anti-colonial resistance.
He was assassinated in 1965.
His nomination places him among the historical figures being considered for formal recognition under the Kenya Heroes Act.
Laboso recognised for governance and development
The list also includes Dr Joyce Laboso, who served as Bomet County’s first female governor.
The Council has nominated her in recognition of her contribution to good governance, transformative development and advocacy for devolution.
Other notable nominees include former Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, former Attorney General Githu Muigai and CBK Governor Kamau Thugge, who are recognised for their service in governance and public institutions.
Former Senate Speaker and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) chairman Ekwee Ethuro is also included, with the Council citing his work in governance, devolution, peacebuilding and advocacy for marginalised communities.
14 categories under Kenya Heroes Act
The nominations cover 14 categories established under the Kenya Heroes Act.
They range from liberation and statesmanship to governance, philanthropy, industry and other forms of national service.
The process does not automatically mean that every person on the list will be formally declared a national hero.
Members of the public have until September 15 to raise objections to nominees.
Objections are to be submitted through affidavits to the National Heroes Council offices or by email.
The Council will consider the objections before the final recognition process is completed.
Heroes expected to be honoured on Mashujaa Day
If approved, the nominees will join the existing group of Kenyans formally recognised under the national honours framework.
The conferment of the honours is expected to take place during Mashujaa Day celebrations on October 20.
The nominations represent an effort to recognise contributions to Kenya across different periods of the country’s history and across fields ranging from political liberation and constitutional reform to governance and public service.
For figures such as Odinga, Nowrojee and Pinto, the proposed recognition also provides an opportunity to formally acknowledge their roles in some of the country’s most consequential political and constitutional struggles.
