A new Pan African podcast series titled Difference She Makes has been launched on the Legally Clueless platform, placing women legal professionals at the centre of conversations about law, power and institutional change across Africa. The six part weekly series brings together leading women lawyers and legal practitioners from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria to examine how justice systems evolve and how reform is shaped and sustained in practice.
The series is hosted by Kenyan media personality, social activist and entrepreneur Adelle Onyango and is produced in partnership with Difference She Makes, a Pan African movement focused on recognising and amplifying women in the legal profession. The podcast launched on 29 January 2026 and is supported by a coordinated multi country amplification campaign across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
The podcast explores law beyond formal statutes, policies and court processes, focusing instead on law as a lived system shaped by professional culture, ethics, leadership, workplace realities and relationships. Across six episodes, the series examines how women contribute to institutional reform through strategic litigation, movement building, leadership within legal institutions and expanding access to justice in everyday contexts.
The conversations highlight the practical mechanisms that influence reform, including professional accountability, legal ethics, institutional leadership and collaboration across generations. The series also reflects on how women lawyers navigate and influence institutions that have historically excluded or marginalised them.
Featured guests include Anne Ireri, outgoing chief executive officer of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya, Zikhona Ndlebe, a lawyer and researcher based in South Africa, Ruth Tanui, founder and managing partner of Ruth Tanui and Co Advocates, and Natasha Ali Errey, advocate of the High Court of Kenya and chairperson of the Mombasa Law Society. Errey also serves as vice chair of the Chairs Caucus of the Law Society of Kenya and as chairperson of the Ethics and Practice Time Committee at the East Africa Law Society.
The series also features Odunoluwa Longe, partner and co founder of Nigerian firm TLP Advisory, and Sibongile Ndashe, founder and executive director of the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa. Together, the guests bring perspectives from private practice, public interest litigation, professional bodies, research and advocacy.
In the opening episode, Ireri reflects on Kenya’s constitutional reform process and the role played by women legal professionals during the review period. She recounts how women participated through a collective platform known as the Women’s Village, where senior women lawyers were involved in negotiations to ensure that women’s priorities were incorporated into the final constitution.
Ireri describes the constitutional process as a moment shaped by intergenerational engagement, with younger professionals learning from senior women who had established themselves within the legal profession and advocacy spaces. Her account highlights how legal reform is often the result of sustained organising rather than isolated moments of change.
Intergenerational leadership is a recurring theme throughout the series. The podcast brings together women at different stages of their legal careers to discuss how institutional knowledge is transferred, how professional values are upheld and how long term reform is maintained. The series reflects on how progress within legal systems is cumulative, shaped by those who create openings and those who continue the work over time.
The Pan African scope of the series allows for cross country comparison and shared learning. While legal systems in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa differ in structure and history, the series identifies common challenges facing women in the legal profession, including professional barriers, cultural expectations and institutional resistance to change. At the same time, it highlights different strategies used by women to influence reform within their specific contexts.
Adelle Onyango’s role as host brings a storytelling approach to the series. Onyango is widely recognised for her work in media and social justice and has been acknowledged by global gender equality platforms including UN Women. Through long form conversations, the series documents legal reform from the perspectives of women working within institutions and communities, focusing on experience rather than abstract legal theory.
Difference She Makes says the series reflects its broader mission to centre women’s leadership in law as a critical component of justice, equity and inclusion. Olivia Maina of Difference She Makes said the podcast brings together women across generations and legal traditions to examine how reform is shaped, interpreted and sustained within institutions.
“The series aims to contribute to justice systems that are more inclusive and credible by highlighting the role of women in shaping legal interpretation, institutional culture and accountability. The podcast positions women’s leadership in law as part of long term institutional development rather than exceptional or symbolic participation,” said the organisation.
Episodes of Difference She Makes will be released every Friday for six weeks and will be available on Legally Clueless platforms, including YouTube and major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Castbox and Apple Podcasts. The launch campaign will engage mainstream media, digital platforms, cultural spaces and policy focused conversations across the three participating countries.
