Kudos Ann Njogu for the good fight against injustice

Joseph Mutua

As the world marked the International Women Day Kenya was one of 10 short listed countries that celebrated the day in a special way. Why?

The short listing panel of International Women of Courage Award had identified and picked one woman in each country who have shown great courage, passion, determination, eloquence and a person of high level integrity in fight for social justice.

In Kenya, Mrs Ann Njogu, the Executive chair and co-founder of Creaw and an Advocate of High Court, was short-listed. US President Obama’s administration handed the award to her and nine other women. The ceremony took place in Washington DC.

For starters, Ann Njogu’s record in fight for social justice stands out. Her history of struggles dates back to the Kanu era when only a few dared to challenge authority. Though in the aftermath of 2002 regime change, key personalities in civil society got incorporated in the new administration of President Kibaki, she stood out as one key personality who refused to sing the song of the new outfit. For her, the new regime was no better. Nothing much changed.

Ms Njogu and other rights crusaders have organised and offered leadership to protest violations. She led the protest against the move by the MPs to increase their salaries and allowances at time when our economy was at the lowest ebb and Kenyans struggling to make end meets.

Sex boycott

She also led and intensified public pressure on then Minister for Finance Amos Kimunya to step aside after he was adversely mentioned in controversial disposal of Grand Regency hotel.

Later, she was among the first women who conceived and co-founded the G10, a women lobby. Soon after, the lobby unveiled one of its projects — the sex boycott — which generated countrywide debate. But while presenting the report after boycott ended, the women were upbeat that most women heeded the call aimed at forcing President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to implement the reform agenda that they promised Kenyans during the campaign and in the aftermath of post-election violence.

For Njogu it has been a rough journey. Many times she encountered police brutality due to her courage and audacity to resist any form of intimidation and what she described as illegal orders.

I remember one time when she was arrested in my presence, outside Garden Square Hotel, after she engaged officers in a fierce exchange of words.

She wanted to know what crime the civil rights activists had committed or who had sent the officers to disrupt a peaceful procession to force Kimunya out of office over the Grand Regency sale scandal.

"Does it mean Kenyans have no right to express their anger and disappointment if diplomacy fails? We are demanding that Kimunya should step aside. If he fails to do so, we ask the President to sack him. This is the verdict of Kenyans," she thundered.

Ngilu rescue

But instead of responding to the issues raised, police hurled her onto a waiting lorry together with a handful of activists and was driven to the police station. She later gave an account of how the police harassed her. We also recall the dramatic incident in which Minister Charity Ngilu stormed the Central Police Station to secure her release. The minister was later held up at CID headquarters to record a statement over the incident.

We wish Ann Njogu good health and all the best in her future endeavours. Aluta continua.

The writer is the logistic and communication officer at Youth Agenda