"If Africa is to reach its full potential, we need strong leaders," says Arnold Tsunga. He believes that Norec’s grant helps young people develop their leadership potential.

Tsunga has witnessed how work exchanges equip young people to become leaders in their communities.

“I knew a young lawyer who went on an exchange programme in 2005. He was already showing leadership qualities before the exchange. When he returned to Zimbabwe, he was even more committed to social causes. His name is Jacob Mafume, and he is now the mayor of the capital, Harare,” Tsunga explains enthusiastically.

Improving Justice in Africa

We meet Arnold Tsunga at the Freedom House coworking space, located near the popular Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg, South Africa. Conversations in the hallways make it clear that this is a place for people who mean business. The office is home to organisations working on human rights, equality, justice, and freedom of expression—both at grassroots and higher levels.

One of these organisations is the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF), a pan-African network of judges and legal experts. They create platforms for building skills and fostering development among African legal professionals. By setting standards and supporting reforms in laws and judicial systems, they aim to ensure that democratisation brings real benefits to people across Africa.

Tsunga is the leader of AJJF and has spent years working towards a corruption-free and effective judicial system in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Together with legal colleagues in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Uganda, he runs a Norec-supported project to, among other things, help develop young lawyers with a holistic perspective on justice and the rule of law in Africa.

Violent Protests in Kenya

At the office, we also meet 31-year-old lawyer David Mburu from Kenya. With a shoulder bag, blazer, and phone in hand, he is ready to head out the door. He is attending a panel discussion during “Anti-Repression Week,” organised by several South African groups.

He will share his experiences as an activist in Kenya. Mburu is a seasoned activist who has spent years fighting for, among other things, the right to protest.

In June this year, several young demonstrators were shot and killed while protesting a proposed tax increase in Kenya. Opposition leaders and religious figures condemned the violent response, which ultimately led to Kenya’s chief of police resigning.

“If I were not here in South Africa, I would have been in the streets with my friends. I know it is dangerous, but the cause is too important to ignore,” he says.

Evicted from His Home as a Child

Mburu’s passion for justice comes from his own experiences growing up in a Nairobi slum.

“I lived in a modest house with my parents and five siblings, but life was very tough. When I was 14, we were thrown out onto the street. We did not even have time to pack. Our house was demolished to make way for new housing projects we could not afford. We had to live on the street.

“That lit a fire in me. Everywhere I looked, ordinary people were being treated unfairly. I decided I had to fight back,” he explains.

Aspiring to Be a Leader Who Drives Change

Mburu describes himself as lucky. The timing of school reforms in his home country worked out so that Mburu received free schooling throughout his childhood and teenage years. He worked hard and achieved good results. Because of this, he was awarded a scholarship to pursue higher education.

His ambitions are high. He envisions himself as a leader who will bring about meaningful change in society.

He believes the Norec exchange programme has accelerated his development as a leader.

“Before the exchange, my focus was very narrow. Now I see Africa as a whole. We must come together and solve our challenges collectively,” says Mburu.