Kenya Human Rights Commission
Encyclopedia
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) is a non-government organization founded in 1992 and registered in 1994.
The Commission campaigns to create a culture in Kenya where human rights and democratic culture are entrenched.
It does this through monitoring, documenting and publicizing rights violations.
, Trocaire
, Danish International Development Agency, United Nations Development Programme
, UNIFEM
, Canadian International Development Agency
, The Ford Foundation
, Swedish International Development Agency and others.
A Board of Directors provides oversight. The commission management is headed by an Executive Director, and Programme Officers are responsible for specific activities.
Programs involve Advocacy, Research, Monitoring and Documentation and Media, Publicity and Communication.
The KHRC is a member organization of the International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights.
The KHRC is a partner of the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), a non-profit research and network organisation that works on social, ecological and economic issues related to sustainable development.
The KHRC has published a roadmap for achieving human rights in Kenya based on a six-point action plan for de-ethnicising Kenyan politics, entrenching the constitution-making process in the current constitution, implementation of Transitional Justice, preserving the independence of democratic institutions, realizing gender equality and equity in Kenyan society and empowering the civic commons.
The organization helped strengthen the role of civil society, advocated democratic reforms and helped with the constitution-making process. Between 1999 and 2003 the KHRC began working on a broader range of economic, social and cultural rights.
From 2004 onward, KHRC has been focusing on helping communities understand and claim their democratic and Human Rights.
In March 2004 the KHRC met with Kenya Police and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
to discuss a Strategic plan for Police Reforms in Kenya.
After the flawed Kenyan presidential election
in December 2007 the Executive Director of the Commission, Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki
received death threats due to statements she had made about the elections.
She was described as a traitor to the Kikuyu people.
Wanyeki had said the Government had used public resources to support its campaign and had failed to guarantee voter security, particularly in areas hit by ethnic conflicts. The commission was compiling a comprehensive report on human rights violations during the elections.
In December 2009 Muthoni Wanyeki stated that the KHRC was in favor of having the International Criminal Court
(ICC) launch investigations into the post-election violence. However, human rights activists were concerned about the safety of witnesses who provided evidence to the ICC, since the government was unlikely to give them any protection.
In 2009 the KHRC filed a representative suit in the British High Court on behalf of survivors of the Mau Mau, an anti-colonialist movement, seeking reparations for abuses during the extended state of emergency between 1952 and 1960.
One of the objectives was to implant the tools for comprehensive transitional justice in Kenya by addressing the problems of impunity for past abuse.
In May 2011 the commission issued a report in which it called for the government to decriminalize homosexuality.
The Commission campaigns to create a culture in Kenya where human rights and democratic culture are entrenched.
It does this through monitoring, documenting and publicizing rights violations.
Organization
The KHRC relies on donations from individuals and from organizations such as the Swedish International Development Agency, Christian AidChristian Aid
Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...
, Trocaire
Trócaire
Trócaire is an Irish non governmental organization development agency. The charity is registered in the Republic of Ireland under Irish Charity No...
, Danish International Development Agency, United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
, UNIFEM
UNIFEM
The United Nations Development Fund for Women, commonly known as UNIFEM was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women's Year. Its first director was Dr. Margaret Snyder, Ph.D...
, Canadian International Development Agency
Canadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
, The Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, Swedish International Development Agency and others.
A Board of Directors provides oversight. The commission management is headed by an Executive Director, and Programme Officers are responsible for specific activities.
Programs involve Advocacy, Research, Monitoring and Documentation and Media, Publicity and Communication.
The KHRC is a member organization of the International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights.
The KHRC is a partner of the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), a non-profit research and network organisation that works on social, ecological and economic issues related to sustainable development.
Action plan
The KHRC tries to address the sustainability of the human rights movement, liberation of grassroots groups and organizations, social justice, accountability, and gender mainstreaming.The KHRC has published a roadmap for achieving human rights in Kenya based on a six-point action plan for de-ethnicising Kenyan politics, entrenching the constitution-making process in the current constitution, implementation of Transitional Justice, preserving the independence of democratic institutions, realizing gender equality and equity in Kenyan society and empowering the civic commons.
Activities
Founded at a time when serious human rights abuses were prevalent in Kenya, between 1992 and 1998 the KHRC focused on monitoring, documenting and publicising violations of civil and political rights.The organization helped strengthen the role of civil society, advocated democratic reforms and helped with the constitution-making process. Between 1999 and 2003 the KHRC began working on a broader range of economic, social and cultural rights.
From 2004 onward, KHRC has been focusing on helping communities understand and claim their democratic and Human Rights.
In March 2004 the KHRC met with Kenya Police and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative is an international non-governmental organisation formed to support Human Rights and particularly to support the implementation of the Harare Declaration in the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
to discuss a Strategic plan for Police Reforms in Kenya.
After the flawed Kenyan presidential election
Kenyan presidential election, 2007
A presidential election was held as part of the Kenyan general election on December 27, 2007; parliamentary elections were held on the same date. Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner and sworn in on December 30, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claims of victory...
in December 2007 the Executive Director of the Commission, Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki
Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki
Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki is a Kenyan political scientist, Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission and former Executive Director of the African Women's Development and Communication Network .-Career:...
received death threats due to statements she had made about the elections.
She was described as a traitor to the Kikuyu people.
Wanyeki had said the Government had used public resources to support its campaign and had failed to guarantee voter security, particularly in areas hit by ethnic conflicts. The commission was compiling a comprehensive report on human rights violations during the elections.
In December 2009 Muthoni Wanyeki stated that the KHRC was in favor of having the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
(ICC) launch investigations into the post-election violence. However, human rights activists were concerned about the safety of witnesses who provided evidence to the ICC, since the government was unlikely to give them any protection.
In 2009 the KHRC filed a representative suit in the British High Court on behalf of survivors of the Mau Mau, an anti-colonialist movement, seeking reparations for abuses during the extended state of emergency between 1952 and 1960.
One of the objectives was to implant the tools for comprehensive transitional justice in Kenya by addressing the problems of impunity for past abuse.
In May 2011 the commission issued a report in which it called for the government to decriminalize homosexuality.