Peter Ouko, Man Wrongfully Jailed for 18 Years Honoured by Macron

Former death row inmate and criminal justice advocate Peter Ouko has been honoured with one of France’s highest national distinctions, the French National Order of Merit, in recognition of his campaign against the death penalty.

The award was presented by French Ambassador Arnaud Sequet on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron.

In a statement dated August 1, one of Ouko’s childhood friends congratulated him on the recognition.

“Congratulations to my childhood friend Peter Malinson Ouko on being presented with The French National Order of Merit by French Ambassador Arnaud Sequet on behalf of President Emmanuel Macron for fighting against the death penalty,” the statement read.

The ceremony was also attended by Acting ABSA Kenya CEO Yusuf Omari, another childhood friend of Ouko.

Peter Ouko Honoured by France After Years on Death Row 

The honour comes nearly three decades after Peter Ouko was arrested in 1998 at the age of 30. 

Additionally , Peter was later sentenced to death in 2001 after being convicted of murdering his wife, an allegation he has consistently denied.

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He spent nearly two decades behind bars, much of it on death row at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, where he shared a small prison cell with as many as 13 other inmates. 

His death sentence was commuted in 2007, and he was eventually released under a presidential pardon in 2016. 

Despite the challenges of prison life, Ouko pursued higher education, becoming the first Kenyan inmate to earn a Diploma in Law from the University of London while still behind bars in 2014 and has since continued with his legal studies.

Life After Prison and His Fight for Justice 

Following his release, he dedicated his life to advocating for criminal justice reforms and supporting vulnerable communities.

He founded Crime Si Poa, an organisation established while he was still in prison, with a mission to prevent crime, promote youth empowerment and support the reintegration of young people in conflict with the law.

The organisation also advocates for justice for the marginalised and seeks to reduce wrongful convictions within Kenya’s criminal justice system.

As Executive Director, Peter Ouko has led the organisation’s expansion into one of Kenya’s leading youth-focused criminal justice reform initiatives.

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In addition to his work at Crime Si Poa, he is a trained paralegal, a TED speaker and has previously served as a director of the Amnesty International Kenya chapter as well as Lead of the Social Justice Programme at Karen Vineyard Church.

Since regaining his freedom, Ouko has become one of Kenya’s most prominent voices against capital punishment.

He has also continued to campaign for the abolition of the death penalty while also seeking justice over the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.

His advocacy has seen him participate in international forums on criminal justice reforms and the abolition of the death penalty.

Among them was a side event on the Universal Periodic Review organised by Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), Culture pour la Paix et la Justice and Iran Human Rights, where he joined global human rights advocates in discussing the future of capital punishment.

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A photo of Peter Ouko, Man Wrongfully Jailed For 17 Years Awarded By France . Photo / Caroli Omondi / Fb