TIME has unveiled the 2025 TIME100 Next list, recognizing software developer Rose Njeri Tunguru among the 100 emerging leaders from across the world who are shaping the future. 

These individuals are honoured for their contributions to fields like business, politics, entertainment, and activism, as they drive innovation and inspire change.

Among the 100 outstanding individuals is software developer Rose Njeri. The 35-year-old rose to prominence earlier in May this year after she was arrested and detained for setting up an anti-Finance Bill, 2025 website.

The online tool allowed Kenyans to email officials expressing their opposition to the controversial finance bill. Days after Njeri announced the tool on X, Tunguru was detained and accused of violating Kenya’s cybercrime laws.

She has been nominated to the 2025 TIME100 Next list by Billy Perrigo, a correspondent at TIME, based in the London bureau. He covers the tech industry, “focusing on the companies reshaping our world in strange and unexpected ways”. His investigation, ‘Inside Facebook’s African Sweatshop,’ was a finalist for the 2022 Orwell Prize.

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to share that I’ve been named in the 2025 #TIME100NEXT list! This recognition is not just mine but belongs to everyone who has walked this journey with me, challenged me, and inspired me to keep going,” Njeri said in a statement following the nomination.

Njeri’s arrest and the seizure of her devices sparked mass uproar and global headlines as human-rights organizations, including Amnesty International Kenya, called for her release. The coverage threw a spotlight on her initial X post, which has been viewed nearly 1 million times.

She was released in June after four nights in custody. Later that month, a court found that the charges against her were baseless. Milimani principal magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo ruled that the charges brought against Njeri by the State were illegal and did not disclose an offence.

The magistrate said the software developer did not commit any offence when she invited members of the public to volunteer views over the 2025/2026 Finance Bill, 2025.

Onsarigo agreed with defence lawyers led by Senior Counsel Kalonzo Musyoka and former Chief Justice David Maraga that one cannot be charged for exercising a constitutional right.

The court said the charge against Njeri did not state whether there were any deaths occasioned by the invite to give their views on the Finance Bill.

The online activist had been arrested and later freed on a Ksh100,000 bond after spending the long Madaraka Day weekend behind bars before she was charged with unauthorised interference with a computer system.

“Now, this software developer who never expected her tool to go viral—let alone become a symbol of resistance—is embracing her new role. She says authorities “want to ignore us like we are not part of the process as citizens,” adding, “We shouldn’t just sit back and watch,” adds Billy Perrigo.

The 2025 TIME100 Next issue has five worldwide covers, each highlighting a member of the list. For the artists category, nominees include actor Jonathan Bailey, American singer and actress Becky G, American actress Monica Barbaro, Nigerian-American visual artist Toyin Ojih Odutola and actor Damson Idris.

The innovators category on the other hand features Nigerian singer Rema, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, and American rapper GloRilla.

In addition, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Senator Ruben Gallego, Turning Point USA CEO and chair Erika Kirk, and Representative Byron Donalds feature in the leaders’ category.

Those nominated alongside Rose Njeri in the advocates category include Shantanu Agarwal, Alex Sheldon, and Rev. Marshall Hatch Jr.

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