Born and raised in the slums, Hanifa witnessed inequality and injustice from an early age. This shaped her into a passionate advocate for human rights, driven by a deep desire to bring fairness and equity.
Four years ago, she launched an online campaign to get a road fixed because it was full of sewage and garbage despite being near a school and hospital and where children used to play.
“That is when my online activism began, and, to date, people approach me to highlight issues they are facing.”
Two things Hanifa has learnt the hard way are that fame comes at a price and justice is elusive. “It is so personal to me because injustices break me a lot, and it all looks like we are fighting for nothing, but at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.”
"I hope I inspire young girls and women. I hope that is what they continue to see up until my last breath."
Previously soft-spoken, activism has pushed her to go against the grain. “I went to the streets for the first time on June 18, and I was the first person to be arrested and was in the cells. It’s something I didn’t get used to, but now, I can be in the streets, run around, and not get scared of the police.”
Being an activist as a Muslim woman has been challenging, but her biggest stumbling block is when the government machinery uses propaganda against her. “But I got used to them.”
Hanifa’s greatest desire is to protect children from defilement. She takes pride in having a perpetrator sentenced to life. “I didn’t even have to go to Mandera, but I garnered support online and got pro bono lawyers. We fought for a year, and that was the first time a rapist was sentenced to life imprisonment. Unfortunately, he appealed,” she says.
As an activist, Hanifa thrives more on social media than on the ground. “I hope I inspire young girls and women. I hope that is what they continue to see up until my last breath.”
-Wangu Kanuri