By Ibrahim Awotunde
A new pan-African podcast series, ‘Difference She Makes’, is set to launch as a six-part programme exploring how women in law are driving reform, reshaping institutions and strengthening inter-generational solidarity across Africa.
Hosted by Kenyan media personality and activist Adelle Onyango on the Legally Clueless platform, the weekly series brings together leading women legal voices from Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria to explore how justice evolves in practice and what it takes to make legal reform credible, inclusive and lasting.
Exploring law as lived experience
Developed in partnership with Legally Clueless, the podcast centres on what the organisers describe as a critical truth: when women lead in law, societies change.
Beyond legal theory, the series examines law as a lived system shaped by culture, relationships, workplace realities and inter-generational leadership, alongside constitutions and policies.
Across six episodes, ‘Difference She Makes’ highlights the practical levers influencing institutional change, including strategic litigation, professional ethics, movement building, legal leadership and the everyday ways women are expanding access to justice.
Voices from across Africa
Guests featured on the series include the outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA Kenya), Anne Ireri; a lawyer and researcher based in South Africa, Zikhona Ndlebe; founder and managing partner of Ruth Tanui and Co. Advocates, Ruth Tanui; and an advocate of the high court of Kenya and chairperson of the Mombasa Law Society and LSK Coast Branch, Natasha Ali Errey.
Others are partner and co-founder of TLP Advisory, Odunoluwa Longe and founder and executive director of the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), Sibongile Ndashe.
Storytelling, power and reform
The series is hosted by Ms Onyango, an acclaimed Kenyan media personality, social activist and entrepreneur recognised by global gender equality platforms, including UN Women.
Her leadership reflects a core premise of the series: storytelling shapes who is seen as credible, whose work is valued and how societies imagine justice, leadership and power.
“This series is much more than women succeeding in law. It is about what happens when women are trusted with power; when their voices shape institutions, culture and the future of our societies,”Ms Onyango said.
Olivia Maina of ‘Difference She Makes’ said the series reflects a core truth across the continent: reform only becomes real when women are part of shaping, interpreting, and sustaining it.
“By bringing together women across generations and legal traditions, the podcast shows how progress is built cumulatively. At “Difference She Makes”, we see this as an essential step toward justice systems that are credible, inclusive, and future ready.”
Broadcast schedule
Episodes of “Difference She Makes” will air every Friday for six weeks on Legally Clueless platforms, supported by a coordinated multi-country amplification campaign across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
