Argwings kodhek biography template
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Pristone Mambili. InArgwings-Kodhek won a scholarship from the Kenyan colonial government to study in Great Britain. Though sent to study the social sciences, Argwings-Kodhek's interests lay with the law, and he lost his scholarship when he switched to that subject, forcing his family to sell their assets in order to finance his education.
Though he was offered a position in the Department of the Attorney Generalhe rejected the low salary — which was a third of that of his white peers — and went instead into private practice. Soon he was in such high demand among accused Mau Mau participants that Kenya's white settler population called him 'the Mau Mau lawyer'.
Argwings kodhek biography template
Many of the defendants who sought Argwings-Kodhek's services lacked the means to pay his fees. As a result, Argwings-Kodhek took their cases as ' paupers' briefs ,' the low fees for which usually only covered his costs. His status as colonial Kenya's only Black lawyer exposed him to repeated harassment by police officers, who regularly requested his documentation and occasionally inhibited his access to areas affected by the state of emergency declared by the British.
Though national political parties were prohibited under the state of emergency proclaimed by the British, Argwings-Kodhek circumvented this ban in by establishing the Nairobi District African Congress. He was instrumental in the formation of the Kenya African National Union KANU in Marchand he won election to the colony's Legislative Council in the general electionserving on it until it replaced by the new Parliament of Kenya upon Kenya's argwings kodhek biography template in In the Kenyan general electionArgwings-Kodhek won election to the country's new House of Representatives as the representative for Gem Constituency.
Kodhek was the first East African to graduate with a degree in law shortly before declaration of state of emergency in Kenya. Kodhek left a well-paying job in the UK to come and join the political struggle in Kenya in — to the surprise of his friends. While studying in the UK, he was involved in debates about concepts such as democracy, human rights and equality, values that he endeavoured to domesticate in his home country.
He insisted on the principle of natural justice as applied to western nations and Europeans in Africa. Therefore, he embarked on defending Mau Mau fighters with great success. He took most cases under pro bono services in various areas in central and Nairobi province colonial courts. For instance, he successfully helped 48 people accused in the Lari massacre, which led to the killing of Chief Luka Kahangara, according to Bethwell Ogot.
Secondly, he successfully defended Waruru Kanja, who later became an MP and minister from being convicted of capital offense during the struggle for independence. In addition, he build important networks with journalists and members of parliament in the UK and used these connections to bring the Hola massacre to international stage when colonial government tried to cover it up.
This was through House of Commons and press networks he had established while studying in the UK. He described colonial brutalities against African detainees committed on behalf of the British government, comparing the massacre to Nazi concentration camps, leading to international uproar. Furthermore, he joined the labour movement after the banning of political parties, just like Mboya and other nationalists with global connections.
Kodhek used his education to push for independence, particularly in relation to colonial injustices. He employed his legal expertise to defend Mau Mau fighters in court. Kodhek died in January in an accident in Nairobi, when his car rolled several times. The road where the accident happened was later named after Kodhek. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest developments and special offers!
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