Nairobi woman is Faculty's first International Human Rights winner

A Nairobi woman has been recognised for her persistence in challenging human rights abuses and her role in rewriting her country’s constitution, by being named the first winner of the Scottish Bar International Human Rights Award.

Salome Nduta (47), a protection officer with the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Kenya, “stood out from the crowd” among 26 entries from around the world, and was the unanimous choice of a judging panel to receive the award. 

The award, launched by the Faculty of Advocates in the summer, aims to honour men and women overseas who champion human rights in the most challenging of circumstances.

Ms Nduta has endured beatings and numerous detentions in an adult life devoted to protecting the rights of others, particularly women. When she was a child, her father died and the family lost the house which was tied to his job, and moved into squalid conditions in Nairobi’s “informal settlements”. She helped form a federation to fight evictions, and went on to qualify as a social worker and paralegal, becoming part of a number of human rights organisations devoted to “the second liberation of Kenya” through a new constitution. 

Campaigning through drama and dance in theatres led to physical beatings and more arrests than she can remember. 

“Once, we hid and were trapped under a vehicle. They could not whip our backs, so they took off our shoes and whipped our feet. That was the worst experience for me, it was very painful”, she recounts.

The new constitution was signed in 2010, but life remains difficult for many in Kenya. Ms Nduta, a mother of two, continues her work.

“In many countries, human rights defenders are killed and are victims of violence, intimidation, harassment and surveillance – simply for standing up for people’s human rights. It is vital that we recognise their achievements and stand in solidarity with them,” said Shelagh McCall QC, convener of the Faculty’s Human Rights & Rule of Law Committee.

“We were delighted with the number and the standard of the entries we received. Salome stood out from the crowd. Having grown up in the settlements of Nairobi, she was determined to do something to help her community, initially as a community organiser fighting against forceful evictions to now protecting human rights defenders throughout Kenya. Her commitment to standing up for human dignity is humbling to witness.

“She has been described to us by one of those whom she has protected as ‘an amazing soul whose selflessness gives us a sense of peace and safety’.”

Lord Bonomy, chair of the judging panel, added: “We were humbled by the quality and depth of the applications. But we unanimously agreed there was one standout candidate. Amnesty International told us that Salome’s ‘dedication, passion, resilience and expertise in protecting and defending the rights of other human rights defenders is unrivalled’. “

Ms Nduta is spending a week in Edinburgh and has received advocacy training from the Faculty, which is hoped will help her in her work. Also, she has been meeting MSPs and officials at the Scottish Human Rights Commission as she builds contacts with Scotland’s human rights defenders in civil society.

“I was overwhelmingly happy (when given the news); I never expected this. I was surprised and, of course, I shed a tear of joy”, she said.

“I am looking forward to learning from other people, exchanging ideas, and seeing how they overcome challenges.”

Of her work, she said: “There is fear in you, but a will to speak on behalf of others. You overcome the fear with the fact that what you are doing is right.

“Currently, I work as a protection officer with an organisation which supports human rights defenders. If a defender is arrested, we are able to bail them out. If beaten, we take them to a doctor. Human rights activism exposes you to traumatic experiences which can affect you psychologically. We can get them to a counsellor.

“There was nothing like this when I started and I enjoy this work because I can give what I did not receive. The work is challenging and fulfilling. You might have to go through a lot of harassment and it is challenging, but it is very fulfilling to see even a small change that you have brought about."