In high school, if a classmate ended up on the noise-maker list unfairly, Gloria would speak for them. Her classmates soon started calling her ‘the lawyer.’ Gloria didn’t quite believe it then, but later, she says, “I validated myself. I worked hard enough to get the necessary grades needed for me to join law school.”
By 2024, Gloria had found herself at the very heart of Kenya’s ongoing battle for justice, coordinating pro bono advocates nationwide to represent people arrested during demonstrations. “It was a blessing in disguise.”
This effort led to a three-month fellowship in South Africa, where she got to connect with other human rights defenders.
But fighting for others comes with a cost. “The biggest price I’ve paid for my ambitions is my social life, as, now and then, I get a call that someone has been arrested and I have to go, despite having made plans.”
"I thought success meant richness, but right now, I look at success differently when I look at my life. "
For Gloria, what she defines as success has evolved with time. “I thought success meant richness, but right now, I look at success differently when I look at my life. Am I satisfied with it? Is my health okay? Family? Spiritual? Am I doing something that is fulfilling me… if yes, then it’s a successful life.”
Gloria is now dedicated to advocating for police reforms, with a strong focus on officers being held personally accountable for their actions. “The police service is supposed to be independent, but without goodwill from the executive, accountability just gets stifled.”
So, what keeps her going? “God and the incredible support system of women and men around me”.
-Wangu Kanuri