Renowned Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee is dead

Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee, a veteran human rights lawyer and constitutional expert, has died at the age of 84.

His death was confirmed on Saturday, April 5, with the cause yet to be disclosed.

Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Omollo, paying his tribute, described him as a towering figure in Kenya’s legal history.

"Quite saddened to learn that my senior, senior counsel Pheroze Nowrojee has passed on. A quintessential advocate who presented the best in court advocacy. Rest in power senior," wrote Otiende on X.

“A giant has fallen today. Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee was a brilliant legal mind who argued his cases in court with eloquence and humor. As a fighter for human rights and good governance, a Pan-Africanist, a scholar, and a writer, he leaves behind a rich legacy that we must emulate,” former IEBC commissioner Roselyn Akombe said. 

Nowrojee was best known for his role in high-profile legal cases, including representing Raila Odinga in presidential election petitions in 2017 and 2022.

His calm but powerful courtroom presence and mastery of constitutional law earned him admiration across the legal and political spheres.

With a legal career spanning over five decades, Nowrojee was admitted to the bar in Kenya in 1967 and later in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

He was a fierce defender of justice and democracy during Kenya’s push for multiparty democracy, often taking up cases involving political detainees and human rights abuses.

He was also a writer and poet, authoring A Kenyan Journey, which chronicled his family’s migration from India and their life in Kenya.

In 2002, he received the Bernard Simons Human Rights Award from the International Bar Association, recognizing his commitment to defending fundamental freedoms.