While Kenya's economy continues to steadily grow, it remains one of the most unequal countries in the world (ranked 146 out of 188 on the Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index in 2016). The country has, since August 2010, been implementing a new Constitution with an expanded Bill of Rights and one of the most ambitious devolution processes anywhere in the world. A large number of functions transferred to 47 newly-created county governments has strengthened accountability and public service delivery at local levels. Looking back on the last seven years, there has been significant progress made over a relatively short period. However, much more still needs to be done to align pre-existing laws with the Constitution and to enact new laws to implement it. Other persistent challenges miring the constitutional implementation process include: corruption, ethnically-based political rivalries, gender inequality, security concerns, and climate change.
Kenya is a Member Party of IDLO, and since 2010 there has been collaboration with the key agencies in the country responsible for the implementation of key provisions of the Constitution, particularly relating to the Bill of Rights, land and environment, devolution, the judiciary, access to justice and representation of the people. A key component of IDLO’s work also relates to advancing gender equality across the country and operationalizing the gender provisions contained in the Constitution.
An overview of IDLO's work in Kenya
IDLO is implementing a project in Kenya and other four countries that aims to strengthen the country’s capacity to promote healthy diets and increase physical activity for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Program activities focus on capacity building for more effective regulatory and fiscal interventions, supporting the development and use of relevant research, and convening multi-stakeholder dialogues and collaboration between civ
Court Annexed Mediation was rolled out in Mombasa for the Tononoka Children’s Court. The project, led by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Task Force of the Kenyan Judiciary, and supported by IDLO, will set an example for the rest of the country on how Mediation enhances access to justice for children and offer protection for children within the justice systems.
Disclaimer: This event was organized at the beginning of March 2020, before the Kenyan Government put in place restrictions to protect the population from the global Covid-19 pandemic.
There is an urgent need to achieve meaningful equality and gender parity in leadership positions within Kenya’s justice sector, according to a new report.
African high-level jurists, experts and legal scholars are meeting in Nairobi for the East Africa Regional Forum on Alternative Dispute Resolution &
East Africa Regional Forum - Alternative Dispute Resolution & Customary and Informal Justice: Advancing SDG16 and Pathways to Justice
Ongoing automation processes are transforming Kenya’s judiciary into a fully-fledged e-court.
“Women’s participation is not simply ‘the right thing to do’. It can also lead to better justice outcomes and experiences,” stated IDLO’s Director of Programs Erwin van der Borght at the opening of the Regional Symposium of African Women Judges held in Fes, Morocco on October 10, 2019.
As countries seek to make progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16, there is growing recognition that it is essential to work with both state and non-state justice systems to strengthen the rule of law and effectively prevent and resolve conflicts.
Legal regulation is an essential tool for governments to promote healthy diets and physical activity to curb non-communicable diseases, IDLO told participants of a conference organized by the Association of Schools of Public Health in Africa (ASPHA) in conjunction with Makerere University’s School of Public Health.
