Theatrics, drama and drawing attention, have been tactics utilised by Julius Kamau, a human rights defender, to address and highlight pressing human rights issues. To some, his mental health has been questioned, given the methods he has used seeking redress and justice for the marginalised and vulnerable within the community. A true champion for social justice, Julius has raised his voice against corruption that impacts on the citizenry, misuse and abuse of public resources, and seeking redress for victims of police violence, abductions, enforced disappearances and extra judicial killings. Julius embodies resilience, courage, resilience, determination and a deep desire for transformation and change within the society and our communities.
With the civic space shrinking in the country, Julius has been vocal against the limitation of rights and freedoms, including freedom of peaceful assembly, association, access to information and expression. He has raised his voice against regressive laws, those seeking to clawback on constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms. For Julius, he does not need a crowd to bring to light the social ills that plague society, rather he is known for staging a ‘one man show’ to protest. This speaks of his courage, resilience, boldness and a true belief that a better tomorrow, despite the challenges, can be achieved.
Julius Kamau’s journey in defending human rights has been marred with challenges. He has been a victim of police brutality, arbitrary arrests death threats, facing tramped up charges and torture. It is noted that once, a screwdriver was inserted in his ear, a tactic deployed to intimidate him, in a quest to see him stop his activism. Such moves, however did not bear fruits, as the zeal to continue championing for rights and freedoms remains stronger than before.
His placards, simple yet effective, have become synonymous with his activism. Julius, from shouting in the streets, refusing to be silenced during court appearances and his spirit not being broken, championing and defending human rights and freedoms remains a deep part of him.
Julius Kamau is described as not just an activist; he is the raw expression/product of proletarian frustration and subsequent outrage. He tells a story of a broken system in ways every Kenyan can relate to and/or acknowledge. He is able to channel the daily frustrations of Wanjiku into collective outrage that anyone who has faced injustice, poverty, economic oppression, and police brutality can recognise as their own. Julius has redefined the boundaries of activism within the bourgeois legalities. His protests are classrooms, and his placards are essays. He forces the country to think by converting courtrooms and streets into political education avenues. He transforms everyday actions into instruments of consciousness by fusing art, defiance, and ideology; this creates a living curriculum of resistance for the oppressed in Kenya.