Njeri Gateru
Kenya

Njeri Gateru is a passionate human rights defender with more than three years’ experience in human rights law, particularly in matters of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. She has worked with non-conforming sexual and gender refugees and now heads the legal department of the National Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (Kenya) where she provides legal aid, litigation, documentation and advocacy services to persons who have been violated on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Njeri holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Kenyatta University and is now pursuing a graduate degree in gender and development studies. Upon completion of the Washington Fellowship, she intends to further the operations of NGLHRC through setting up grassroots offices and forming partnerships with other queer groups in remote areas of Kenya, as well as partnering with mainstream civil society to change the legal landscape with regard to LGBTIQ persons and establishing liaisons to make Kenya a more inclusive and egalitarian state.