20/02/2026
Senior Counsel Dr John Khaminwa, now in his late eighties, has spent more than five decades fighting for justice in courtrooms across the country – yet he has never owned a smartphone.
Born in 1936, Dr Khaminwa's journey into law began with an education spanning three continents.
He acquired an external law degree from the University of London, graduated with a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Dar es Salaam and later earned a master's degree in international law from New York University.
This formidable educational foundation launched a career that would see him become one of Kenya's most fearless advocates.
He began practising law in 1973, and alongside his late wife, Justice Joyce Khaminwa, established Khaminwa and Khaminwa Advocates.
Over the past 51 years, he has represented an extraordinary roster of clients including the late leader Raila Odinga, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and even Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
He successfully challenged the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) at the Supreme Court and fought for the rights of deported lawyer Miguna Miguna.
Beyond his high-profile clients, Khaminwa has taken on more than 1,000 pro bono cases, representing those who cannot afford legal fees.
His chambers in Nairobi reflect a man deeply rooted in tradition – complete with an earthen pot boiling over a fireplace and walls adorned with portraits of legal giants who have inspired him.
Despite his professional demands and public profile, Dr Khaminwa has never owned a smartphone.
He uses only a basic feature phone, and his reasons reveal as much about Kenya's turbulent political history as they do about his personal character.
Speaking to the Daily Nation, he explained that his reluctance stems from dark experiences during President Daniel Moi's regime.
In the 1980s and 1990s, when Khaminwa was actively challenging the one-party state and representing political detainees, his telephone became a tool of intimidation.
"During the time when Moi was in power, we used to be insulted very much on the phone. You would be at home, happy with your family, and then somebody would ring to intimidate you, telling you to stop pursuing some of the cases you were following, mostly concerning human rights and the constitution," he recalled.
The harassment became so unbearable that at one point he "uprooted the landline and didn't have a telephone in my house".
This historical trauma has informed his relationship with communications technology ever since.
Today, he relies on family members and employees to manage any communication that requires digital intervention.
In a profession where email and instant messaging have become standard, Khaminwa proves that legal brilliance requires nothing more than a sharp mind and unwavering principles.
Khaminwa's wariness of surveillance technology is understandable given his history.
He was first detained in the 1980s for his involvement in cases challenging the one-party system – a period he describes with chilling clarity.
"It was a trying period when you now find that you are sleeping on cement.
It's not a good thing, and out of 24 hours, you spend 22 hours alone in a small room, and the food is of very poor quality.
The only books that I had access to were the Quran and the Old Testament in Kiswahili. No wonder that a number of people with whom I was detained, the majority of them are now dead," he told Citizen Digital.
His second detention came in 1990 in connection with the Saba Saba rally, a pivotal event in Kenya's fight for multi-party democracy.
After being stripped naked and held overnight, he was driven towards Kamiti Prison – until the vehicle stopped in Karura Forest. "I thought they were going to kill me.
That was the time when I really prayed to God to spare my life. I was really frightened that these people were going to shoot me dead," he recounted.
"When they told me to get back into the car, I was the happiest man on earth."
A deputy commissioner of police drove him home with a chilling warning: this would be the last time he was detained – implying the next consequence would be far more permanent.
For Dr Khaminwa, the legal profession is more than a career – it has become his solace.
After losing his wife of 48 years in 2014, followed by his elder son in 2017 and then a brother, he has channelled his energy entirely into his work.
"The law provides company also. I am in the company of people; otherwise life would be lonely, and I would also probably begin to think of my own personal problems and that could affect me health-wise," he explained.
At an age when most would contemplate retirement, Khaminwa remains a fixture in Kenya's highest courts.
He has stated simply that he will retire "when I die".
During the recent parliamentary motion to impeach Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, the 88-year-old lawyer reportedly stayed up until 3am studying case documents – a work ethic that would exhaust lawyers half his age.
Dr John Khaminwa's refusal to own a smartphone is not Luddism or stubbornness – it is a considered response to a history of state surveillance and intimidation that most Kenyans under 40 can scarcely imagine.
His basic phone represents freedom from the tracking, monitoring and instant accessibility that smartphones enable.
In 2021, he was honoured as Volunteer Advocate of the Year at the Kituo Annual Paralegals Awards, recognising his decades of pro bono service.
In 2023, he stepped forward to represent Brian Mwenda, the man accused of practising law without qualifications, arguing for fairness even in controversial circumstances.
As younger lawyers tap away on their devices, checking emails and WhatsApp messages, Khaminwa sits in courtroom corridors with nothing but paper files and his extraordinary legal mind.
He is a living bridge to Kenya's difficult past and a reminder that justice depends not on technology but on courage, integrity and an unshakeable commitment to the rule of law.
The man who has never owned a smartphone owns something far more valuable: a legacy etched into Kenya's legal and constitutional fabric.
In a world of constant digital connection, he remains deliberately, defiantly disconnected – and perhaps that is exactly why he has endured.
Pwani za Kale
