Commemorating a pillar of the Fight Inequality Alliance movement - Njoki Njehû

Fight Inequality

With profound sadness and heavy hearts we share the news of the passing of a beloved movement leader and comrade Njoki Njehû, who passed away peacefully at home in Nairobi on the morning of Saturday 18th July.

Her role in building Fight Inequality Alliance, among her many other achievements as a leading Pan African feminist over many decades means her loss is felt across our whole movement, even as her legacy endures.

Across our global movement, we mourn the loss of an extraordinary woman whose life was defined by courage, compassion, humility, and an unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and the dignity of all people. Njoki was a visionary leader whose wisdom, conviction, and generosity shaped our movement in countless ways across Africa and globally.

Njoki was a committed Kenyan grassroots organiser and activist. Her first activism and advocacy lessons were from her mother, Lilian Njehû, a community and church-based activist who inspired her to fight for justice throughout her life. Njoki defined herself as a Pan-Africanist, feminist, and popular educator.

Njoki was among the pioneering activists who helped build and strengthen the FIA movement from its earliest years. As FIA Pan Africa Coordinator, she provided strategic leadership that strengthened our presence and solidarity across the continent. Until shortly before her passing, she served as FIA's Principal Political Advisor, offering invaluable counsel, political insight, and steadfast commitment to advancing our collective vision.

Beyond her leadership within FIA, Njoki was the co-founder of Daughters of Mumbi Global Resource Centre, a Kenyan network focused on grassroots women’s rights activism. But her politics, her vision and her impact were both grassroots and global. She notably led the 50 Years Is Enough campaign in the US, which marked the 50th anniversary of the World Bank and the IMF by campaigning against their neoliberal policies and model -and their impacts on the lives of people across the Global South. She was also a founding member of the International Council of the World Social Forum and the African Social Forum Council. This combination of experiences made her vision and her praxis have a global impact on the shape and the direction that Fight Inequality Alliance has taken.

She carried the words “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”, to centre our struggle on building grassroots power, but connected that to radical transformation of our economies and societies.

Njoki was deeply loved by so many whose lives she touched. She was a true testament to a life well lived. Even in her final days, she remained the warm, thoughtful, powerful and generous soul we all knew. She never forgot anyone and held space so generously.

As we come to terms with this immeasurable loss, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, comrades, and every member of the FIA family. We stand together in grief, but also in gratitude for the privilege of having known and walked alongside such an exceptional woman.

Njoki's passing leaves a void that cannot easily be filled, yet her legacy remains firmly woven into the fabric of FIA. Her voice, her leadership, and her unwavering belief in the power of organised communities will continue to inspire our work for generations to come. The greatest tribute we can offer her is to continue the mission she so passionately advanced: to build stronger communities, drive radical change from the national to the global, live true to her feminist values, champion justice, and lead with compassion, courage, and integrity.

Her light, her example, and her legacy will forever remain in our hearts and continue to guide the FIA movement.

Rest in Power, Comrade Njoki Njehû. Your legacy lives on.

Further communication about memorial arrangements and opportunities for members to pay their respects will be shared in due course.

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