FIRESIDE CHATS WITH THE LEGAL GAL
In my previous article in the series, ‘Fireside Chats with the Legal Gal’, I wrote on the transportation system in Kwale County, how it impacts our firm’s operations and how I’ve been moving around here. https://mmsadvocates.co.ke/kwale-county-transportation-system/.
Have a read, let us know what you think and what more you’d like to know about our work at MMS Advocates LLP and how we could be of service. Thank you.
Life comes at you fast – especially if you’re a woman. Not to belabor any obstacles that I have overcome; nor the experiences I have had; but the one that sticks out will always be the very first job that I held. The one that had proper taxes being deducted from my pay slip (that was definitely a new core memory for me). I was kind of adrift after I got admitted to the Bar of Advocates in 2016 and had wanted some inspiration for what to do next. I’d already dabbled in all kinds of gigs; such as having a stint at CMC Motors as an intern, volunteering my time at FIDA as a mediator, being a co-host and communications lead at Fatuma’s Voice, being an artist manager & part of the social media crew with Creative Spills; my life was on the fringes of the legal sphere. So by the time I had realized something was amiss in my career progression, I got a call (followed by numerous emails and texts) from a relative – there was a job opportunity as a legal officer. The only hitch: it would be across the border in Arusha, Tanzania. This was exactly 2 years after I had been admitted to the Bar. So in April 2018, I crossed the Namanga border, to begin a new life – and a path that set me on where I am today.
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania known as the “safari capital” of the country and a major diplomatic hub. The city is situated beneath the towering peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro and is a bustling city and the main gateway for visitors to Tanzania’s famous Northern Safari Circuit. It has a strong diplomatic presence and hosts the headquarters of the East African Community, earning it the nickname “the Geneva of Africa”. The national parks and nature reserves in this region include Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha National Park, the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, and part of Lake Manyara National Park. With this introduction alone, I was sure I was in for a different setting to my own home, as it was unlike any place I had been before in the past 28 years of my life then.
The region is a major international diplomatic hub. It hosts the African Court of the African Union and is the capital of the East African Community. From 1994 to 2017, the region also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, but that entity has ceased operations. Currently, it hosts one of the branches of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. This is important to note in this fireside chat, because as much as I knew where I was going to work, I had not known how close I would be to these particular organizations, leave alone operating closely with them.
Arusha is a multicultural region with a majority Tanzanian population of mixed backgrounds: indigenous African, Arab-Tanzanian and Indian-Tanzanian population, plus a small European and North American minority population. Religions of the Arusha region population include Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. This particular aspect was not foreign to me, having come from the Coast of Kenya. In fact, it was the biggest weapon in my arsenal while working in Arusha. The cultural norms were easier for me to adapt to, much to the delight of my Tanzanian brethren; and amazement of my Kenyan counterparts, who’d lived in Arusha for years before I even got there.
The Pan African Lawyers Union, (or PALU for short), where I would be for the next two years, became the whetstone of my legal career. It was founded in 2002 by African Bar leaders and eminent lawyers, to reflect the aspirations and concerns of the African people and to promote and defend their shared interests.
Its membership comprises of the continent’s over five regional lawyers’ associations, over 54 national lawyers’ associations and over 1,000 individual lawyers spread across Africa and in the Diaspora, working together to advance the law and the legal profession, rule of law, good governance, human and peoples’ rights and socio-economic development of the African continent.
Not only was I under the tutelage of one of the most compassionate, passionate and larger than life bosses, Mr. Donald Omondi Deya, I was surrounded by a group of colleagues who wanted nothing more than to show me the ropes of life in a regional legal setting – leave alone an international one. The setting, as earlier stated, was not as far removed as my home country, but it did come with challenges. The first major hurdle I faced was receiving clients or fellow legal professionals & members who either spoke French, Portuguese, or even Arabic. These being the official languages spoken by members of PALU, I had to either network extensively with those members who were able to help in translation, or begin a close relationship with the tens of translators who worked for the various organisations in Arusha. My social skills became more than tested, as I had to not only figure out how to be a Membership officer of the organisation, but the work would lead me to travel to other countries on the continent. Of note in my travels were Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda.
These events and conferences would allow me to see what other legal professionals were doing in their countries, how their bar associations were equipped to ensure rule of law and good governance were advanced and promoted. This, in turn, also led me to move from a mere Legal officer, to a Membership officer and right before I left, to being a Programmes and Legal Officer in the Office of the CEO. All this was a huge boost to my professional and personal life, as I felt that perhaps my journey was final taking a turn for the better.
However, what stuck out during my time in Arusha, was the need to have proper funding and have partners who would walk with the team in its quest to advance the legal work that we were all so passionate about. This came with its own set of challenges, as at times the economic and political landscape of the country, region or continent would mean even international donors would back away in remitting funds. This put a strain on not only the CEO, but the team at large, as our work would either be cut short, salaries would be delayed for even months, and most importantly, the people we had sworn to serve would be left dangling in the wind.
At times, it felt like our fundraising efforts (through membership fees, conferences, proposals to international organizations for various programmes) was all for nought. But as the saying goes, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” I’d find myself receiving a client or a member who would send money to the office accounts for a job well done, or offer to sponsor a panel in one of our many events, and some would go as far as pay for membership for a few years, just so that our efforts would not be in vain. We were the watering hole from where the animals in the parks would come to quench their thirst – and our donors, investors and partners were the rain laden clouds that would replenish us whenever we were in danger of becoming dry.
All in all, my first proper job was filled with joy, sweat and literal tears. The journey to being Legal Gal was set in a country not too far away from my own, but definitely far from the cities I grew up in and cut my teeth as a lawyer and advocate. The experience honed my mediation skills, my negotiation tactics, my boardroom manners and of note; my rise to being who I am today. And for that, I will forever be grateful to PALU, Mr. Donald Deya and the team that was there at the time, and not forgetting; the wonderful people in Arusha who helped shaped me into who I am today. And most importantly, for setting me on the path to become The Legal Gal.
Until next time.
