Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Kenya

Representatives of the Danish Institute for Human Rights

Representatives of the African National Human Rights Institutions

Representatives from the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions

Members from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights

Invited participants present,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning to you all!

Receive warm greetings from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

I take this opportunity to warmly welcome you to this Monitoring and Reporting workshop. For those visiting from other countries, in Kenya we say, ‘Karibuni sana’.

Monitoring and reporting is instrumental in the work of any National Human Rights Institution (NHRI). I see we have two main objectives to achieve out of this workshop;

a)   To build the capacities of NHRIs to be able to fulfil their individual UN Paris Principles mandate with regard to monitoring and reporting and

b)  Professionalize monitoring outputs and submissions to regional and international bodies. 

As NHRIs we do have fundamental mandates bestowed unto us by our respective Constitutional and legislative Provisions and therefore, we need systematic tracking of information on human rights which can then be used as a reference point or an authority in the field of human rights. NHRIs are also charged with the role of Monitoring State’s Compliance of their respective international and regional human rights standards and principles.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The work we do of monitoring human rights violations that are specific to our countries cannot be overstated. This is our calling. This is what we do, every day! Therefore, monitoring and reporting is very key because it helps in the protection of human rights by enabling the building of knowledge on human rights violations that are specific in the countries we represent here.

As an example, since 2013, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has been able to,   observe a constant increase in human rights violation in labor sector accounting for approximately 52% of the complaints processed in a year. This has been made possible through our Petitioner Management System (PIMS). This has led to the Commission redirecting its interventions to address Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ECOSOC) through awareness raising and legislation interventions.

As National Human Rights Institutions, we are also called upon to offer advisory roles to national institutions, both private and public sector. In order to effectively play the ‘human rights advisors’ role, NHRIs need to develop their own knowledge so that they can advise the various stakeholders in the human rights f

On 27^th January 2016, Msambweni Human Rights Defenders made a dramatic citizen arrest of an old man who was reported to have allegedly defiled a 13 year old standard 3 school girl in a sleepy Fihoni Village, Msambweni sub- county  in Kwale County.

The sun is falling reluctantly below the hill ahead of us when a silhouette of a woman flags us down at an obsolete path covered with corn snarled up with tiny plants with bean-like leaves. Below it, four houses built distances apart.

In this day and age, when harsh economic times deepen, it is almost automatically expected that any good work be rewarded with some pay or an otherwise token that can be converted for a cash benefit that can enhance the recipient’s life. Yet still, as the cliché goes, 

Journalists play a very important role in promoting the respect of human rights through their continuous reporting on varied societal happenings.

Police reforms! Police reforms! Police reforms! The much sang and much awaited changes in the service, formerly a force which Kenyans have been looking forward to as they quest for better security and policing services.

The nature of the work of a human rights defender demands a lot of confidence and courage. For some, the confidence comes naturally. Yet for others it must be nurtured.

Human Rights Defenders in different parts of the Country play a very crucial role in enhancing the realization of human rights. However, this role is hampered by several challenges and one of them is the capacity gaps that exists within the HRDs themselves.