Meagan Kuiper: Life and Law in Nairobi, Kenya

Meagan Kuiper interned at the Federation of Women Lawyers in Nairobi, Kenya.

I’ve been in Nairobi, Kenya for almost two months now and I can’t believe how quickly it seems to have flown by. My first few weeks here, everything felt so new and, at times, overwhelming. On my first day at Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Kenya), the first thing I noticed was a room packed full of women – later I learned that they were all clients waiting to obtain free legal advice from FIDA Kenya’s Access to Justice team.

I spend most of my time at FIDA Kenya on the Women and Governance team. My team works more on the policy and legislative side of things – mainly in the fields of women in political leadership, gender-based violence, and women’s property rights. I am also lucky enough to get to spend one day a week with the Access to Justice team, where I assist with intake of clients and providing them with legal information. Of course, this sometimes proves to be quite challenging (and interesting) due to the fact that most interactions are in Kiswahili, of which I know maybe about 10 words.

Some of my favourite experiences so far at FIDA Kenya have been out in the field seeing our programming first-hand. This has also allowed me to see Kenya’s beautiful countryside. I have attended trainings of police officers on dealing with cases related to gender-based violence and trainings on women vying for political leadership. During the latter trainings, I was incredibly inspired seeing so many strong women getting ready to partake in a huge challenge. Running in elections is incredibly difficult, especially for Kenyan women. They face additional challenges that men either do not or do to a lesser extent – two examples being political violence and access to campaign financing. The amount of women who run for political leadership and who are elected are far less than men – this is one of the things FIDA Kenya is trying to change. 

On weekends, I have been exploring Nairobi and making the most of my downtime. I love going for walks on weekends when it is slightly less busy than during the week, giving me more time to look around and take everything in. I’ve biked through Karura forest, shopped at the Maasai market, and looked at churches and mosques. And I’m hoping to see a lot more of the city in my remaining 6 weeks.

Seeing all those clients on my first day and getting to hear their stories has reinforced my belief in how important FIDA Kenya and organizations like it are for women in Kenya. The Access to Justice team is assisting clients who need legal advice immediately. The Women and Governance team is trying to implement long-term, institutional change. I feel incredibly lucky to be spending my summer with FIDA Kenya and I can’t wait to see what the next six weeks brings.