NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 5 | ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT
Dr Emmah Wabuke: The Person Behind the Work
May 2026
By Zinhle Hlatshwayo
1. To start us off, could you tell us a bit about yourself? Who is Dr Emmah Wabuke, both personally and professionally?
I am a Kenyan human rights lawyer currently serving as Director of Practice and Assistant Professor at the Pozen Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago. My role requires me to teach human rights fieldwork to undergraduate majors, mentor emerging practitioners, and help build bridges between academic inquiry and lived experience. Teaching has been a constant thread in my life; it is a vocation I have embraced across Kenya, the United Kingdom, and now the United States. On a personal level, I am a devoted dog mum to two spirited companions who bring equal measures of joy and exasperation. I am also an enthusiastic follower of the WNBA and a fan of The Wendy Williams Show, a habit I consider part of my Roxane Gay “bad feminist” era.
2. What first drew you into the world of human rights, and what continues to inspire your work today?
I often say I always knew this was my path, an imperfect but honest answer. My commitment to human rights was not sparked by a single moment but grew gradually over time. It was shaped by the curiosity encouraged by my primary school teachers, including Ms. Macharia; the courtroom dramas and social narratives I absorbed through books and television; the legal thrillers I devoured in high school; and the consciousness-raising events and debates that marked my university years. The throughline has always been a deep interest in justice, dignity, and the structures that sustain or undermine them.
3. You made a notable shift from academia into the civil society space. What motivated that transition, and was there something specific you hoped to achieve through it? Looking back, do you feel you accomplished what you set out to do?
I have always believed that theory without practice is incomplete.
As Brené Brown paraphrased from a Native American proverb: “knowledge is a rumour until it lives in the bones.”
My entry into civil society was facilitated by Tabitha Saoyo, then at KELIN Kenya. That experience revealed both the difficulty and the profound fulfilment of translating theory into practice. It also affirmed my conviction that practice should continually inform theory, not merely be shaped by it. That remains a guiding principle in my work today.
4. During your time at ISLA, what aspects of the work made it particularly meaningful for you? Was there a project or moment that stands out as especially impactful?
My time at ISLA was meaningful on several fronts. One of the most formative early projects I worked on involved documenting how defamation suits are used to silence survivors of sexual violence. That work was significant because it exposed, in concrete terms, the ways in which legal tools can be repurposed to undermine justice and retraumatize victims. It illuminated how power operates in intimate, procedural, and structural ways and underscored the urgency of developing feminist legal strategies that respond to these dynamics.
This project deeply reinforced my enduring belief that practice must inform theory. It was a visceral reminder that doctrines and frameworks cannot remain abstract; they must be shaped by the lived realities of those they are meant to serve.
On a personal level, I learned immensely from my colleagues Nerima’s approach to feminist leadership and Zinhle’s embodiment of compassionate management were especially instructive. These relationships were as impactful as the substantive work itself.
5. As you reflect on your journey so far, what lessons or insights do you feel are most important for emerging scholars or human rights defenders entering the human rights field today?
One of the most important insights I can offer is the necessity of embracing the reciprocal relationship between practice and theory. Human rights work demands intellectual precision, but it equally requires proximity to lived experience. Theory gains meaning only when it is tested, challenged, and refined in practice; likewise, practice becomes more effective when guided by thoughtful and evolving theoretical frameworks.
For emerging scholars and practitioners, this means remaining attentive to the people and communities behind the issues. Approach every engagement with humility, recognizing that those directly affected by injustice carry forms of knowledge that academic texts cannot replicate. Allow their experiences to unsettle your assumptions and reshape your frameworks.
Equally, be patient with the pace of change. Human rights work unfolds slowly and often unpredictably. Commit to the process, knowing that incremental steps grounded in lived realities ultimately strengthen the integrity of the broader struggle.
Finally, safeguard your own humanity. This field can be emotionally demanding and sustaining yourself; through rest, community, and joy; it is part of the work. It is precisely this grounding that allows us to continue bridging practice and theory in meaningful, responsible ways.