Team Details
Miriam Wachira
Miriam Wangari Wachira is a seasoned legal and human
rights professional with over 15 years of post-admission experience
and a strong background in strategic program management.
She holds an LL.M in
International
Human Rights Law from the
University of Notre Dame, an MBA in International Management from the University of East
London, and an LL.B from the
University of Nairobi.
Miriam is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
Profile
Miriam's extensive career in
the justice
system includes her role as
Country Director at Justice Defenders, where she
led the organization's expansion, rebranding, and significant impact growth. Under her leadership, the
program grew from
8 to 19 legal offices, served and released more prisoners, and achieved a 99% pass rate for University
of London LLB
students. Her strategic oversight also resulted in a 50% increase in program funding and multiple
international awards.
Her expertise in program management, resource mobilization, and stakeholder engagement has been
demonstrated through her
successful tenures at various organizations, including FIDA-KENYA, THE CRADLE- the Children Foundation,
Pendekezo Letu,
and GOAL Kenya.
She has a proven track record of managing and motivating diverse teams, securing
funding, and driving
advocacy initiatives.
Miriam's professional qualifications are complemented by her certifications in mediation and corporate
governance.
She
is committed to promoting justice and human rights, with a focus on serving marginalized communities and
fostering
systemic change.
At Justice Nest, Miriam continues to leverage her strengths in strategic leadership, program
development, and
partnership building to advance the organization's mission and impact. Her dedication to justice and
human rights,
combined with her strategic and operational expertise, makes her a vital asset to Justice Nest and its
mission to serve
most marginalized community.
Eddie Kaddebbe
Mr. Eddie Ndonga Kaddebe is an advocate of the High
Court of Kenya having been admitted to the Kenyan bar in 2008.
He holds an
undergraduate degree in law from the University of Nairobi; a postgraduate Diploma in Law
from the Kenya School of Law;
a master’s degree in intellectual property from Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe and a
second master’s degree in
strategic security studies from the National Defense University in Washington DC, USA.
Profile
Kaddebe has worked within the criminal justice system for more than a
decade, having joined the Kenyan prosecution
office [Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (Kenya) - ODPP] as a public prosecutor in 2012. As a
prosecutor Mr.
Kaddebe encountered first-hand the challenges and issues surrounding juveniles within the criminal
justice system, some
of which persist to date. During his stint as a prosecutor, he has learnt and been a part of
conversations and action
plans that deliberately seek to have both state and non-state actors sit and work together to obtain and
deliver a
specific objective.
To this end, and in celebration of some of his achievements, Mr. Kaddebe was
part of
the team that
prepared the ODPPs Diversion Policy and Guidelines as well as ODPP Plea Bargaining Guidelines, which,
inter alia bring
into effect the Constitutional and statutory obligation to keep juveniles away from penal institutions
and/or
incarceration.
Kaddebe was a focal person, trainer and champion on alternatives to incarceration not
only for juveniles
but also individuals suffering from substance abuse disorder primarily along the Kenyan coastal
region.
Additionally, Mr. Kaddebe is a certified National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA - USA) trainer and
has over time
trained on Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Counter Terrorism, Wildlife Crimes and other forms of
transnational
organised crime.
Mr. Kaddebe most recently was the Legal Practice Manager at Justice Defenders; a US, UK and Kenyan
registered not for
profit, whose primary focus is defending the defenceless within the criminal justice system, working
predominantly with
inmates within prison facilities to have them better prepared to defend themselves and navigate the
criminal justice
system with ease.
He is passionate about tangible reforms within the criminal justice system and a wholistic approach that
is offender
centric and focuses on restorative justice as opposed to a straitjacket approach that is offence centric
leaning towards
retributive justice.
