Eric Gitari is a former Executive Director at the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC). He is also a lawyer, teacher, researcher and author.
During his tenure at NGLHRC, Gitari championed legal and policy reforms towards equality and full inclusion of sexual and gender minorities in Kenya.
In 2015, the NGO which was headed by Gitari at the time, defended two men who had been arrested for being gay.
A year later, the High Court ruled that homosexuality was illegal in Kenya.
However, in March 2018, the Court of Appeal overturned the lower court’s decision.
"My biggest concern was for the two young men; they will live with this for the rest of their lives,” Gitari stated at the time.
His career kicked off in 2007 as a legal assistant before going on to become an LL.M. advisor at Harvard Law School.
Gitari now stands tall as a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law.