Stop worrying about things you can’t change
What you need to know:
- I keep telling those I interact with that we need the wildlife just as much as they need us.
- We have an obligation to conserve our environment and wildlife not just for ourselves, but for future generations too.
- If you can’t go out there and talk about it, you can use platforms such as social media to raise awareness so that more animals get to live.
Stop worrying about things you can’t change
Patricia Simiyu is an assistant attorney with Lawyers without Borders (LWOB) Kenya
Patricia Simiyu is an assistant attorney with Lawyers without Borders (LWOB) Kenya
Is fighting for human rights your purpose in life?
I believe it is. I started my career as an intern at FIDA Kenya before joining the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, as an intern as well, for one year. After leaving KNCHR, I joined a human rights non-governmental Organisation called KELIN Kenya (Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS) before moving to Community Education and Empowerment Centre (CEEC) in January last year. I joined Lawyers Without Borders in March this year.
How did your childhood shape you into the person you are?
I grew up in Kitale, Transzoia County, and at one point in time, one of my cousins had a case in court. Whenever my mother went to see his lawyer, I tagged along. I was fascinated by the lawyer’s office. It had many books and colourful files. Later, I got to learn about his role in securing the rights and freedoms of individuals through court processes.
This greatly inspired me. I went on to study law so that I could assist women and persons from less privileged backgrounds get justice regardless of their financial challenges and other constraints.
After years of working as an advocate of the High Court, what have you learnt about yourself?
That I am very passionate in my field. I look back at when I started my career, and I couldn’t have done anything different.
How does your typical day look like?
As an assistant attorney, my work involves assisting the attorneys in planning of activities, trainings and other administrative work. Since I am currently working from home and with flexible timelines, I spend my days either reviewing legal documents, reaching out to service providers or facilitating zoom meetings with participants.
Tell us about WICRI
The Wildlife Crime Mock Trial Competition is a two-year programme funded by the U.S. Department of State, run by Lawyers Without Borders. It was designed with the aim of improving the judiciary’s capacity to counter wildlife trafficking in Kenya and Tanzania. The programme focuses on building advocates’ trial skills in complex wildlife trafficking cases in two key ways: Providing the necessary tools and curricula that are tailor made for each country, and enhancing the capacity for collaboration and coordination across the various departments during investigations and prosecutions.
To select and prepare the competitors, LWOB conducted a series of trial advocacy training programmes with the view of enhancing participants’ knowledge of their domestic legal frameworks, and the skills involved in prosecuting complex wildlife crime cases through case analysis, evidence selection and presentation, and trial advocacy.
Why wildlife?
According to World Wildlife report 2020 by UN office on drugs and crime, wildlife trafficking is a highly profitable business that fetches billions in profits. This has led to increased cases of poaching and the ripple effect is extinction of wild animals, as was the case with the white rhino. To add, the continuous exploitation of nature by humans has led to decreased biodiversity and a worsening climate crisis.
How can you get somebody sitting in an office to care about the wildlife conservation?
I keep telling those I interact with that we need the wildlife just as much as they need us. We have an obligation to conserve our environment and wildlife not just for ourselves, but for future generations too. If you can’t go out there and talk about it, you can use platforms such as social media to raise awareness so that more animals get to live.
What is the biggest challenge you've faced when it comes to advocacy?
Many do not have access to information when it comes to conservation. We aim to create more awareness on this issue.
In your line of work, how do you measure success?
Through the feedback I receive. I know I have succeeded when I find out that my work has, in one way or the other, positively changed or improved the lives of others.
At your age, what are you currently learning or unlearning?
I am learning to stop worrying about things that are beyond my control.
If you were to meet one person for coffee, dead or alive, who would that be and what would you ask them?
Rosa Parks. She was an American activist and the US congress named her “the first lady of civil rights.” I would ask her to talk about courage and how to use your voice.
