Carolene Kituku is a constitutional and human rights lawyer passionate about justice and equality. Her interests focus on the advancement and protection of women’s rights, using the law and courts systems as a tool for social change to address diverse gender inequalities evident in various laws and practices within the African continent. She is keen on the inter-play between governance, democracy andthe rule of law and their implication on holding the state accountable for human rights violations. She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Western Cape in international law with a focus on international criminal law, transitional and transnational criminal justice. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from Moi University and a post-graduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law. Carolene is in active practice of public law.

Over the years, she has gained skills that adequately provide a sound balance between abstract legal knowledge and practical litigator’s reality both substantively and procedurally. She has also been involved in the research and documentation of human rights abuses when she worked as a researcher at the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (KTJRC), her significant contribution being the writing of the TJRC’s final report on the chapter on Massacres as a form of crime against humanity and a human right violation. In addition, she served as a law clerk to Justice Isaac Lenaola, judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya, and thereafter, she worked as a law clerk for the Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Carolene is the women’s socio-economic rights thematic lawyer at ISLA. 

Jessica Achieng Oluoch is an advocate of the high court of Kenya, a human rights lawyer and a Programme Manager at Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network (KELIN). She works under the Women, Land and Property Rights thematic area where she engages in analysis of laws and policies, offering legal support to clients and conceptualizing various projects under the programme. She has over 12 years experience in political ecology on land governance. She has published a Women Land tenure regional curriculum which seeks to interrogate how social norms affect women’s rights to land and utilizes a rights based approach to create awareness on the basic rights of women to property. She has taken part in various policy and legal processes that have culminated to development of various laws including the Alternative justice systems policy and the national land policy that is still under review. She has equally presented proposed law of succession act to the senate committee on legal affairs and human rights to review the draft based on biased application of the legislation on women. She was a fellow at the Southern Africa Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) in Johannesburg where she attained skills on the dynamics of Public Interest Litigation with a focus on health rights and also published an article together with Annabel Raw in the Malawi nation on the rights of persons with albinism. She recently graduated from the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa on political economy and land governance through the institute of poverty, land and agrarian studies at the university of western cape. Jessica is part of the ISLA Feminist lawyers network, Cohort 2020-2023 and equally part of the alumni network part of the female lawyers network committed to creating social change through strategic litigation.

Nerima Were is an LLB and LLM Graduate from the University of Pretoria, currently pursuing her PhD with the University of Nairobi. She is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, having completed a post graduate diploma at the Kenya School of Law and a pupillage at Bowmans, Kenya. She has worked as a researcher at the Constitutional Court and the Land Claims Court in South Africa. She joined the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS as a volunteer becoming a program officer and manager for the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights thematic area, and eventually the Deputy Executive Director and Acting Executive Director. She has also worked as a tutorial fellow at the University of Nairobi where she is pursuing her PhD. She has extensive experience on sexual and reproductive health and rights having contributed to knowledge production advocacy and litigation in this work.

Ophelia Kemigisha (she/her) is a feminist activist, facilitator and human rights lawyer from Kampala, Uganda. She previously worked with SRHR Alliance Uganda, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) and Chapter Four Uganda. Her work has included providing legal services including emergency legal response, implementing strategies for public interest litigation, and legislative advocacy. Ophelia’s work takes particular interest in international human rights law, reproductive justice, feminist ideology, and economic justice. She organizes with feminists from Uganda and across the African continent to advance radical politics for the liberation of women, LGBTIQ people, and other groups affected by patriarchal violence. Currently, Ophelia works with Outright International, where her role is to ensure that sexual and gender minorities are duly accounted for in United Nations processes and mechanisms, with a focus on the area of sustainable development. She also serves on the Boards of Her Internet and Synergía Initiative for Human Rights, providing governance oversight and support. Ophelia holds a Master of laws from Georgetown University Law Center, where she also completed the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) fellowship, and a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University.

Ophelia loves reading, curating memes on social media, and writing poems and songs. She currently lives in New York.

Senior Legal Advisor, Strategic Litigation-FIDA-Uganda

Susan Baluka is the Senior Legal Advisor in charge of Strategic Litigation at FIDA-Uganda. She has five (5) years’ worth of experience in litigation and advocacy for rights of marginalised communities in Uganda, including Women’s Economic Justice, Violence Against Women and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. She is an alumnus of the Feminist Litigation Institute, and is currently at the centre of steering FIDA-Uganda’s Transitional Network Partnership with the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) towards realisation of gender justice in Uganda, through feminist litigation.

Winfred is a human rights lawyer and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a passion for championing for the rights of women in the African continent through litigation and advocacy. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Laws (LLB) from the University of Nairobi and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law. She did her pupillage at the Office of the Attorney General & Department of Justice and upon admission to the bar she joined the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) as a Legal Officer at the Access to Justice Program. While at CREAW, she participated in ISLA’s strategic litigation training and upon completion she transitioned to Strategic Litigation Advocate at CREAW where she progressively developed a portfolio of cases seeking to hold the State accountable in its due diligence obligations to prevent and respond to violence against women in Kenya. Winfred has also conducted advocacy activities around her strategic litigation cases with the aim of initiating conversations, creating a social movement and changing the narrative on women’s issues. Most notably, she organized an inter-universities conference in Kenya on the state due diligence obligation to investigate and prosecute cases of violence against women. Additionally, she organized a processional walk to the Office of the Chief Justice to present a petition calling upon the Judiciary to protect victims of sexual violence by punishing perpetrators and ensuring that victims obtain their right to effective remedy.

Anyango P. Janet is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a graduate of Moi University with a Post Graduate Diploma from Kenya School of Law. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Project Planning and Management and training as a Feminist Litigation Lawyer with the Initiative of Strategic Impact Litigation Africa (ISLA). Janet is the Senior legal Counsel at FIDA- Kenya’s Kisumu Office. She is passionate about upholding the rule of law and promoting human rights especially the rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups. Janet is a well experienced litigator and over the years has successfully litigated many cases succession, matrimonial property, women land rights, child custody and maintenance amongst others. She is conventional researcher; rapporteur; facilitator well vast in legal affairs; capable of managing diverse groups as well as delivery of comprehensive and timely reports. Janet is also a certified public mediator with rich skills in Alternative Dispute Resolution such as mediation and alternative justice systems. She is well exposed, strong willed and an ardent advocate for human rights in Kenya, the region and beyond

Beatrice Kayaga is a human rights lawyer with over five-years’ experience in human rights enforcement specifically women’s rights. Beatrice holds a Bachelor of Laws from Uganda Christian University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre. She has vast experience in policy advocacy, research, litigation and project implementation. She previously worked at the Women’s Probono Initiative where she led advocacy on impact litigations, conducted various investigations into human rights abuses such as sexual violence faced by persons with mental disabilities in Gulu District. She litigated cases involving domestic violence as well as sexual violence. She led litigation surgeries where lawyers who are like minded agree on issues to litigate in a case and developed advocacy plans for the strategic cases. She was exposed to research and evidence-based advocacy on areas including sexual reproductive health, women’s rights, regional and international human rights. She conducted community-based mediations and has taught indigent women about their rights such as property rights, children’s rights in an intestate estate, access to justice, economic injustices faced by women in the informal sector and the solutions to overcome the gendered inequalities in employment in the informal sector. She is currently attached to the Strategic litigation department of FIDA – Uganda and an active a member of the GBV Prevention Network.

Elsie Milimu is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and holds a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Nairobi. She is also an Accredited Mediator with the Mediation Training Institute East Africa. She is a member of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya). Ms. Milimu has 5 years of experience in programming and implementation of various projects as well as legally advocating for women and children. She is currently a Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Program Personnel at the Kenya Ethical and Legal Issues Network on HIV and AIDS(KELIN). She has previously worked at FIDA Kenya as well as the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) Kenya as the Access to Justice Team Lead. She has legally represented several women and children and is a member of several Gender sector working groups. She is a Certified trainer of the Training of Trainers Get Moving curriculum. She has also been trained on Safe Programming by the Oxfam Global Humanitarian Team.

Emily Kinama is a research and litigation associate at Katiba Institute. She holds a Masters (International Law) degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Pretoria. She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. Professionally, Emily has gained work experience in government and academia. She has a passion for human rights law and social justice and has published journal articles on issues related to access to justice, cultural rights community land rights and women’s rights. She enjoys public interest litigation.

Isabella Mwangi, is a lawyer with over 7 years of experience in the human right sector more specifically on children and women rights. She is passionate about the law and how law and policy can be used as tools for sustainable development and specifically achieving Gender Equality. Isabella has extensive experience in ] advocating for the rights of women and girls from grassroots levels specifically on matters Sex and Gender Based Violence. She supported Kilifi County to draft a Gender Policy which articulates gender challenges and ensure that the county priorities Gender initiatives. Further has been a key resource in the training and capacity building of state actors on Gender Based Laws and its application. Isabella was recently appointed by the Chief Justice to serve on the National Council on Administrative Justice Committee, whose mandate is to review the laws related to Sexual Violence and Gender Based Violence. In addition, she seats on the Policare Committee a National Police Service (NPS) integrated response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Kenya. She is keen to learn from good practice and seek for innovative ways to provide solutions to the existing challenges in the law in upholding the rights of women. Currently undertaking a 3 year training on feminist strategic litigation with the institute of strategic litigation. Isabella is a Rotarian, enjoys traveling and an avid reader, her mantra in life: be intentional, compassion, humor and style.

Kumvana Mlumbe Mtukula is a Partner and Managing Counsel at Maxson Arnolds & Associates. Prior to this she worked in a women’s rights NGO for several years, supporting Human rights related programs, Litigating women’s inheritance and Land rights, Family law and child rights. She is passionate about social change litigation, and litigates for NGO’s on issues affecting women’s rights especially on VAW & WSER. Kumvana is also the Malawi Women’s Lawyers Association Blantyre Chapter President and is responsible for ensuring women in the Southern Region of Malawi have access to Justice.

Valentine Nyokabi Njogu is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She is currently Legal Counsel at the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and Aids (KELIN), where she undertakes strategic litigation to ensure social, legal and policy change with respect to the right to health. She is also a member of the Feminist Litigation Network, a network of the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa and is undertaking litigation to hold the state accountable for the protection of women’s rights. She has twelve years’ professional experience in the human rights research and advocacy, which has been gained from her previous positions as a legal researcher in the Judiciary of Kenya, as a lecturer and in private practice.

Umu Kulthum Sesay is a dedicated legal professional with a strong educational background, having earned her L.L.B Hons. from the University of Sierra Leone – Fourah Bay College, and subsequently her B.L from The Sierra Leone Law School. She has gained valuable experience in various roles within the legal field, starting as a Legal Intern at Marrah and Associates Law Firm, then transitioning to a Pupil Barrister at the same firm before joining AdvocAid as a Lawyer. Umu’s career objectives are deeply rooted in addressing the injustices and discrimination faced by women and girls in Sierra Leone’s legal system. She aims to be an advocate for their rights, providing legal representation, advice, and support to ensure they have access to justice and resources to combat gender-based violence and discrimination.

Umu passionately works to promote women’s and girls’ rights and advocates for systemic changes within the legal system. She aspires to specialize in Human Rights law to further enhance her expertise and contribute to creating a more equitable legal landscape. Umu’s passion lies in her commitment to advancing women’s and girls’ rights, developing her research, writing, and advocacy skills. Outside of her legal pursuits, Umu indulges in her passion for baking, further highlighting her diverse interests and talents.

Mwamba Yurita Ngoma-Milambo is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Zambia and a Human Rights Activist. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) which she obtained from the University of Zambia. She was further admitted to the Zambian bar in 2018 and holds a legal Practicing License.  Mwamba Ngoma has been practicing law for over 5 years with experience in Private practice and public interest litigation. She specializes in Litigation, analysing of draft law and new legislation, to ensure human rights are upheld, and collaborates with different organizations on various issues affecting the public, she further has vast research skills.

Prior to joining Chapter One Foundation she was in the employ of Mwenye & Mwitwa Advocates where she gained litigation skills which included court procedures. She also worked as a Research Advocate at Circuit Zambia where she was part of the team that developed Apptorney an application for lawyers and was a Leaner Legal Practitioner at Chisanga & Associates. Mwamba decided to study law after she had observed the injustices that took place in society against women, she noted the prevalence of sexual violence and that women were being silenced. She is therefore passionate in her fight to end sexual violence against women. Mwamba uses her knowledge of the law to promote and protect human rights in general, women’s rights, to train Human rights Defenders on the law, to fight for accountability, good governance, and the rule of law.

Mwamba has many talents and believes she has divinely gifted hands. This has enabled her to start a Gift packaging business bringing smiles to many. She is also a Thespian though not actively pursuing this passion, she desires to see a world were Art, and Drama are used as Advocacy to positively change the world.

Glory Mwende Kairi, Advocate, is a dedicated legal professional with a diverse background and a passion for social impact. Holding an LL. B from the University of Nairobi and having completed the Advocates Training Program in Kenya, she brings a robust understanding of legal principles and procedures to her work. Glory’s career objective is to contribute meaningfully to society while continually advancing her skills and knowledge. She seeks to engage in dynamic roles within innovative organizations to make impactful contributions, aligning herself with institutions fostering learning and intellectual engagement.

Currently serving as a research assistant and advocate at Kituo, Glory actively contributes to programs empowering marginalized communities through legal assistance and advocacy initiatives. Her work includes logistical coordination of events, publication assistance, monitoring, evaluation, and community engagement. With previous experiences in legal internships at the Supreme Court of Kenya and various law firms, she has honed her skills in legal research, documentation, and client communication.

Glory is dedicated to promoting access to justice and empowering marginalized groups. She is adept at community outreach, partnership coordination, and policy advocacy, evidenced by her contributions to legal empowerment initiatives and policy reform efforts.

Beyond her legal career, Glory is passionate about literature, documentary films, travel, volunteerism, and computing which she aims to feature in her upcoming podcast. She balances her professional pursuits with personal interests, demonstrating a well-rounded and multifaceted approach to life.

Leah Aoko Kanyangi is a lawyer with strong interest and experience in public interest litigation and policy development. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) and a Master of Law (LL.M) in Law Democracy and Governance from the University of Nairobi. She is currently working as a Program Associate for Research and Advocacy at Utu Wetu Trust where she expresses her passion for enhancing equitable justice for vulnerable groups of people including women and girls during periods of instability and in humanitarian situations. She recognizes that during conflict, women and children are most vulnerable to abuse and neglect and thus, contributes to the advocacy and protection of the rights of these vulnerable groups through public interest litigation as a vehicle for change. Additionally, she has engaged in projects to enhance access to public and private services for refugees in Kenya with a dual focus on advocating against sexual and gender-based violence in refugee communities.          

Leah has been keen on advancing her skills in public interest litigation overtime. As such, she was a fellow of the East Africa Public Interest Advocates Programme (Cohort 3) at the Centre for Strategic Litigation where she was awarded the prize for Best Overall Performer.

Further, Leah is multidimensional in her legal profession. As a member of ARIN, she engaged in the Adaptation Research Alliance project on locally led adaptation and the Nairobi Risk Hub’s Tomorrow Cities Project, which focused on mitigating disaster risks in urban settings. Leah successfully completed the prestigious NDC Fellowship program on Climate Financing in Africa where she was honoured with the esteemed Spirit of Stetson award in International Environmental Law from Stetson Law University in 2018.

Leah is also skilled in public speaking and events coordination. She thrives in leadership.

Unknown to many, Leah is a singer.

Hazel Olithia Miseleni is a legal professional committed to championing the rights of women and children. Her educational journey includes obtaining an Advanced LLM in International Children’s Rights from Leiden University and an LLB (Hons) from the University of Malawi. She has also completed specialized courses in human rights, including a Child Rights Short Course at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Currently, she serves as a Principal Legal Aid Advocate at the Legal Aid Bureau, where she focuses on feminist and child rights-centric litigation. Alongside her professional responsibilities, Hazel is a Waging Justice for Women Fellow at the Women Lawyers Association, leading initiatives in collaboration with the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Her dedication extends to advocacy work, involving conducting capacity-building trainings and spearheading grassroots awareness campaigns. Outside of her legal pursuits, she finds joy in gardening and crafting cocktails.

Vitumbiko Mbizi is a lawyer devoted to the protection of the rights of women and children. With a Diploma in Management Information Systems from Malawi College of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Malawi, Vitu has a strong educational foundation. Her work experience includes internships at the Child Case Review Board and T.F. & Partners law firm, where he later served as a Legal Practitioner before joining the Women Lawyers Association as a Lawyer. Vitu’s objectives revolve around using the law to drive social change, particularly in policy, legislation, and judicial precedent affecting women and children. She aims to create a more equal society by addressing gender-based obstacles in accessing justice and empowering women and children with legal knowledge. Vitu specializes in providing legal assistance on matters of sexual violence, advocating for social and economic justice for women, and addressing discrimination through strategic litigation.

Outside of her legal work, Vitu finds fulfilment in writing on blogs.

Wangui Gitahi is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Nairobi and a postgraduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law. Wangui is a constitutional and human rights lawyer with a profound passion for advancing the rights of women and girls. Her work focuses on leveraging legal and court systems as instruments for social change to address diverse gender inequalities through advocacy and legal intervention.

Wangui’s career began in Dadaab Refugee Camp, where she represented survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the Dadaab law courts. During her tenure, Dadaab saw its first conviction in an SGBV case, and she played a pivotal role in establishing a One Stop Centre for SGBV response at Dadaab Subcounty Hospital. She advised and watched brief for complainants in 33 SGBV cases, with 2 cases concluded with the accused persons being convicted and sentenced.

Wangui was also the lead in implementing a gender-responsive programming project funded by UN Women in Dadaab Refugee Camp. Within this period, she managed all advocacy efforts and conducted 12 capacity-building activities targeting various stakeholders, including Community Policing and Protection (CPPT) officers, SGBV community workers, SGBV staff in community-based organizations (CSOs), women’s organizations that support SGBV survivors, and the police. Throughout the project, she supported 3 Gender desks based at the police stations in Dadaab Refugee Camp.

Currently, Wangui is the Senior Protection Officer at Amnesty International Kenya. In this role, she coordinates the protection program and case management system, providing effective protection solutions to at-risk individuals, including refugees, survivors of violence, and human rights defenders.

Gaudence Akinyi Were has a strong commitment to human rights and gender issues, working closely with human rights movements and civil society organizations. As a Campaign Officer at Amnesty International Kenya, Gaudence plays a pivotal role in leading campaigns aimed at reducing hate speech and hate crimes in the country. Her efforts include research and publishing of quarterly discrimination indexes to shed light on the multifaceted challenges experienced by marginalized communities and to provide a data – driven analysis of discriminatory practices across various sectors. This work has also involved coordinating the #HumanIsMyID alliance, a national anti-discrimination alliance.

Tracey Lichuma holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), a post graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law (KSL) and is currently pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M.) at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria.

Her areas of specialization are sexual rights, women’s socio-economic rights and violence against women.

Tracey is currently working as legal counsel at the Federation of Women Lawyers where some of her duties include legal representation for vulnerable women and girls in court, drafting legal pleadings for court proceedings, providing legal advice to women and girls pro-bono at the FIDA-K Legal Aid Clinic, facilitating mediation as a form of dispute resolution and, training of different stakeholders on Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV).

As a human rights advocate, Tracey dedicates her time to champion for the rights of women and girls. She is committed to the advocacy and protection of the rights of vulnerable women and girls.

Tracey is passionate about music. She plays guitar and drums.

Zekhethelo Nokubonga Cele is a dedicated human rights attorney from the coastal region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, specifically from the towns of Richards Bay and Eshowe. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zululand and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa at the University of Pretoria, in partnership with Addis Ababa University. As an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, Zekhethelo has been practicing with Lawyers for Human Rights, specialising in the Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme, Detention Monitoring, and Penal Reform. Her legal expertise has taken her up to the South African Supreme Court of Appeal.

Zekhethelo is deeply passionate about advancing the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers, safeguarding socio-economic rights in South Africa, and championing the rights of sexual and gender minorities.

NYELETI BALOYI is a dedicated human rights advocate with a strong legal foundation. After completing her LLB degree, she gained invaluable practical experience through articles at Legal Aid South Africa and subsequent roles at the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa. Currently, she works as a Junior Attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights.

Driven by a deep commitment to social justice, Nyeleti is passionate about using her legal skills to protect and promote the rights of marginalized communities. Her career objectives are centred around advocating for human rights, particularly those of refugees and migrants.

Beyond my professional accomplishments, Nyeleti possesses a unique talent that few may know about. She is a passionate cook and enjoys exploring different cuisines and creating delicious meals.