|
o ICJ-Kenya is the only national section of the International Commission Of Jurists in Africa. o ICJ-Kenya has observer status in the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. o In November 2003, Mr. Kathurima M’Inoti, who had been a Chairman of ICJ-Kenya between 1995 and 1999, was elected a Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. He is a leading constitutional lawyer and is currently the Chairman of the Kenya Law Reform Commission. He is the second Kenyan to be elected a Commissioner to this prestigious international body. o Throughout the 1990s, inefficiency, incompetence and corruption in the Judiciary increased and as a result, public confidence in the system reaching all-time lows. Kenyans view the judicial system as hostile, partial and not independent. ICJ-Kenya took the lead to initiate judicial reforms. We have held workshops to train Judicial Officers on human rights issues and gender mainstreaming. ICJ-Kenya’s key campaign in the Judiciary was to engage the Judiciary to push badly needed reforms. Since 2001, ICJ has researched and disseminated information on required reforms to back the campaign. The campaign designed activities to address priority areas for reform as identified by the public and forwarded to the Judiciary for implementation. Through media information kits, public lectures and discussions, ICJ pushed the need for judicial reform into public debate. In addition, over 80% of ICJ Kenya’s reform proposals on the Judiciary were incorporated in the draft Constitution. o The efforts have borne fruit. A new Chief Justice was appointed in early 2003, with the mandate of reforming this key institution. In September 2003, the Committee appointed to investigate corruption and integrity in the Judiciary, made its report public. As a result, 15 of 23 judges alleged to have engaged in corruption and unprofessional conduct resigned. To date, a number of magistrates and paralegal staff have retired. With ICJ-Kenya’s and other stake holder’s efforts, Kenya has now started putting together the building blocks to having a judiciary that guarantees the rule of law. o ICJ Kenya has published numerous reports and other informative articles on the Judiciary, judicial reform and administration of justice in Kenya. o ICJ-Kenya has a paralegal network, which it uses to sensitise the public about legal concepts, the law and how they can access justice. As part of this effort, ICJ-Kenya has conducted a study on the feasibility of community justice systems o ICJ-Kenya has, with other organizations been involved in advocacy for the resolution of human-wildlife conflict. This it seeks to do through legislative and policy advocacy and judicial adjudication. o The ICJ Kenya has continued to enjoy cooperation with the ICJ Geneva. The recent cooperation has been on the trial observation mission in Zimbabwe of the Retired Judge Fergus C. Blackie and of the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in July 2003 o In 2002, ICJ Kenya submitted a Memorandum to the Constitution Review Commission of Kenya (CKRC). Our recommendations, especially on the Judiciary, were incorporated into the Draft Constitution. o In 2002, ICJ-Kenya and CKRC hosted the Advisory Panel of Eminent Judicial Experts from different Commonwealth jurisdictions, to advise the CKRC on necessary judicial reforms. The Advisory Panel made wide-ranging recommendations. These are contained in the Advisory Panel Report. The CKRC adopted many of the Panel’s recommendations on the provisions dealing with the Judiciary in the Draft Constitution. o In November 2001, ICJ Kenya got onto the information technology highway by launching its website, so that its local and international publics can access information about the organization, cheaper and faster. o The ICJ Kenya and the ICJ Sweden have worked together on the International Cooperation Programme’s “Access to Justice” Project. It was established in the year 2001 with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The project targets to work with twenty-seven [27] African countries to support and strengthen the legal protection and enforcement of human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa under the rule of law. We are currently working with sixteen [16] African countries in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa. An Executive Council whose membership is drawn from both the Sections is charged with management of the programme. o In 2000, ICJ-Kenya commissioned the publishing of a Freedom of Information Bill as part of its Freedom of Information Project. The Bill was informed by a research study on Freedom of Information in Kenya and other relevant jurisdictions. The findings of the study were published in a report titled ‘The State of Freedom of Information in Kenya.’ The project also involved a successful national campaign on the ‘Right to Know’. Through it, ICJ-Kenya managed to create links with national and international media houses and organizations advocating for freedom of information at the international level. o Through different fora, ICJ Kenya has continued to comment on issues of public interest and lead debate on the same. In doing so, it has helped to shape public opinion and influenced policy and legislation o ICJ-Kenya has been involved in the move for constitutional change since the early 1990s. In 1994, partnering with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), we produced a ‘Model Constitution for Kenya’. This document served to accelerate the push for a new Constitution and the Moi Government finally bowed to the pressure. ICJ-Kenya continues to advocate for the enactment of a new Constitution. |
