John Khaminwa has been involved in legal battles in Kenya for over five decades, yet in this age dominated by smartphones, the veteran lawyer has never owned one.
While courtrooms, law firms, and advocates have fully gone digital in recent years, Khaminwa’s rejection of smartphones has raised eyebrows among Kenyans, given his frequent engagement in legal battles.
In this segment, Times Digital Kenya explains why John Khaminwa doesn’t own a smartphone, unlike his peers.
Who is John Khaminwa?
An alumnus of New York University in the United States, the University of Dar es Salaam, and the University of London, Khaminwa studied law at some of the world’s top institutions.
Dr John Khaminwa, 88, has practiced law for 54 years, winning numerous cases throughout his career. One of his notable cases involved Kenyan-Canadian lawyer Miguna Miguna, who was deported from the country in 2018. Khaminwa represented Miguna in court to challenge the government following his exile.
Additionally, Khaminwa represented former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko during his impeachment as the capital’s county boss.
The veteran lawyer has also handled other high-profile cases, representing prominent figures such as Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in the late 1980s and 1990s—a period when Kenya was transitioning to multiparty democracy and pushing for political reforms.
Furthermore, he has long been a champion of human rights and justice.
How John Khaminwa works without a Smartphone
Apparently, Khaminwa, who has been in the limelight for decades, has maintained a modest lifestyle and, as such, doesn’t own flashy gadgets or vehicles.
According to a report by local newspaper Daily Nation, the 88-year-old lawyer owns only a basic feature phone and has deliberately avoided owning a smartphone.
While speaking to the newspaper recently, he said it was a personal decision not to own a smartphone, although his job demands the use of such gadgets.
He also linked this choice to the 1980s, when he said the government tried to monitor conversations and that the police were always keeping people under surveillance.
As a result, the prominent lawyer explained that the unpleasant experiences he had with his landline during President Moi’s regime contributed to his cautious approach toward telephones and the modern technology.
“During the time when Moi was in power, we used to be insulted very much on phone. You would be at home, happy with your family and then somebody rings to intimidate you, telling you to stop pursuing some of the cases you were following, mostly concerning human rights and the constitution. For some time, I uprooted the landline and didn’t have a telephone in my house,” John Khaminwa said
To communicate with potential clients, Khaminwa gives out their phone numbers to his family members as well as his employees.
