Mr. Lenson Njagi Njogu is all smiles as he explains to colleagues at his workplace, the meaning and significance of his medals. “These have been conferred to me this morning at State House by the president, His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto,” he adds.
Mr. Njogu, a Business Development Manager for Haki Institute, bagged the prestigious presidential award of Order of Golden Warrior (OGW) for his general contribution to matters of access to justice in Kenya by advocating for proper laws and policies that inform how people access justice by helping with the development of laws and policies promoting access to justice, providing free legal aid and conducting thematic research that informs new jurisprudence.
“Access to justice is ensuring the justice journeys for every Kenyan, especially the poor, vulnerable and the marginalized, are easy to walk through.” Said Mr. Njogu. He explains that the language used in executing legal matters should be easy to understand and interpret and costs involved be affordable.
“Having done this for 20 years, I must say it is not a walk in the park. There is a need for consistency,” notes Mr. Njogu. This sentiment perhaps explains his decorated career. His longevity in fighting for and advancing the course of human rights has seen him sit in various national committees such as the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), National Committee on Criminal Justice Reforms (NCCJR), bail and bond implementation committee, Special Taskforce on Children and the Active Case Management Committee.
He not only has been recognized locally by the head of state but also internationally. In 2019, the United States Embassy in Nairobi accorded him a prize for his contribution to the justice sector reforms in Ghana. He was also recognized by the American Bar Association through their rule of law Initiative in 2019 and collected the United States State Department’s International Visitor Leadership award in New York, in 2020.