Renowned human rights lawyer and senior counsel Pheroze Nowrojee is dead.

Nowrojee passed away on Saturday, April 5, morning in the US at the age of 84 with the cause yet to be disclosed.

Nowrojee is best known for his role in high-profile legal cases, including representing the opposition and former Prime Minister  Raila Odinga in presidential election petitions in 2017 and 2022.

Pheroze was a stalwart of the legal and human rights movement in Kenya, including serving as the NCEC Convener and Spokesperson.

He was, till his death, the Chair of the Asian African Heritage Trust which has played a very significant role in advancing Kenya’s position and progress in diplomacy, peace, friendship and education worldwide.

His calm but powerful courtroom presence and mastery of constitutional law earned him admiration across the legal and political spheres.

With a legal career spanning over five decades, Nowrojee was admitted to the bar in Kenya in 1967 and later in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

He was a fierce defender of justice and democracy during Kenya’s push for multiparty democracy, often taking up cases involving political detainees and human rights abuses.

He was also a writer and poet, authoring A Kenyan Journey, which chronicled his family’s migration from India and their life in Kenya.

President William Ruto has mourned the late renowned human rights lawyer and senior counsel Pheroze Nowrojee.

Ruto mourned Nowrojee as a decorated constitutional lawyer and veteran defender of human rights.

On his part, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki described Nowrojee as a phenomenally brilliant lawyer and the chess master of the courts who dignified the respected rank of Senior Counsel without thrusting it upon people for recognition.

“Humble to a fault, the towering veteran of the courts was an intellectual who lived a simple life and interacted with respectfully with all, even the most junior members of the legal profession or the judiciary,” Kindiki said.

“May his soul find peace, may his family be comforted during this painful time.”

“Nowrojee was universally respected for his principled commitment to the advancement of democracy, protection of fundamental rights and freedoms and the promotion of Constitutionalism and the rule of law,” the President said.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Faith Odhiambo described Nowrojee as a man of irrefutable poise and honourable character, whose life exemplified duty to service and dedication to Justice.

“Our hearts sink today, for we have lost one of the greatest to have ever done it. As we honour this bastion of constitutionalism, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and every person whose life he touched. May Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee rest in eternal peace,” Odhiambo said.

Chief Justice Martha Koome remembered Nowrojee as a mentor, an icon of the Kenyan Bar and a towering figure in the legal and constitutional history of the nation.