The saying “like father like daughter” is literal for Cindy Kamau, who
is scaling the heights of student
leadership abroad but whose heart
is firmly in Kenya, raring to take after her father as a fiery activist.
Kamau, 25, is serving a one-year
term as alumni director of the Black
Law Students Association at the
Osgoode Hall Law School at York
University in Ontario, Canada.
She
was elected in March 2024.
The Star interviewed her in Nairobi, where she is visiting her family
before flying back to sit her final law
exam in April.
The test would qualify her to sit
for the Ontario bar exam in June on
her path to be licensed to practice
law in the Canadian state.
Reflecting on her leadership in the
multicultural and multiracial environment, Kamau thinks her passion
for justice is inborn, perhaps learnt
from her father’s daring advocacy
for human rights.
Her father, Kamau Ngugi, is the
executive director of the National
Coalition of Human Rights Defenders. Also known as the Defenders Coalition, the lobby, formed in
2007, advocates for the welfare and
safety of human rights activists.
From women rights, indigenous
people’s rights, sexual minority
rights and anything in between,
Defenders Coalition has had an
impactful run in championing fundamental rights in the country, empowering grassroot activists to safely stand up for their communities.
Kamau wants to succeed her father in advocating for underserved
communities, using her knowledge
of law and exposure in a multicultural environment as the plank.
“I love Kenya very much and I
know our people deserve better Kenyans are very hardworking,
smart and can get everything done,
but there are systemic issues that
draw them back. I’m sure that just
as my father, I’ll get time to make
my contribution in amplifying the
voice of the disadvantaged,” she
said during the interview.
The Osgoode Hall Law School
has notable alumni in Kenya, including former Chief Justice Willy
Mutunga and quarrelsome political
activist Miguna Miguna.
The juris doctor (a three-year
professional degree taken by students who already have a bachelor’s degree) candidate previously served
as co-president of the Osgoode International Law Society.
Prior to joining law school, Kamau, who first went to Canada in
2016, obtained an undergraduate
degree from the University of Toronto
in Ontario.
She studied arts, specialising in
political science and majoring in African studies and graduated in 2021.
Her leadership and political acumen got sharpened there, while advocating for increased administrative support for black students.
Other black students noted her
efforts, electing her president, representing over 2,500 students across
the institution’s three campuses.
As alumni director, her proudest
achievements are organising meetings to enable students to connect with
school alumni to chart the dynamics
of practising law in Canada and in
the neighbouring US.
Kamau later specialised in tax
and international law, to enable her to inform public policy and the distribution of national resources, which
she is passionate about.
