KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2007/2008 KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS _____________________________________________________________________ 3 FOREWORD _____________________________________________________________________________ 4 THE SECRETARY’S REPORT ______________________________________________________________ 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY __________________________________________________________________ 8 CHAPTER ONE___________________________________________________________________________ 11 1.0 INTRODUCTION____________________________________________________________________ 11 1.1: Structure of the National Commission________________________________________________ 11 1.2: Mandate and Powers of the Commission______________________________________________ 12 1.3: Strategic priorities for 2007/2008____________________________________________________ 1 3 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF PROGRESS __________________________________________________ 15 2.0: COMPLAINTS AND INVESTIGATIONS PROGRAMME _________________________________ 15 2.1: Background_____________________________________________________________________ 1 5 2.2: Nature and distribution of complaints_________________________________________________ 1 5 2.3: Investigations___________________________________________________________________ 1 9 2.4: Closed complaint files____________________________________________________________ 21 2.5: Achievements___________________________________________________________________ 23 2.6: Challenges______________________________________________________________________ 2 3 3.0: CAMPAIGNS AND ADVOCACY PROGRAMME ________________________________________ 24 3.1: Background_____________________________________________________________________ 2 4 3.2: Activities implemented____________________________________________________________ 2 4 3.3: Achievements___________________________________________________________________ 3 4 3.4: Key lessons and challenges________________________________________________________ 3 4 4.0: HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME ______________36 4.1: Background_____________________________________________________________________3 6 4.2: Activities undertaken_____________________________________________________________ 36 4.3: Achievements___________________________________________________________________ 37 4.4: Key lessons and challenges________________________________________________________ 3 7 5.0: RESEARCH, POLICY AND LEGISLATION PROGRAMME _____________________________ 41 5.1: Background____________________________________________________________________ 41 5.2: Activities implemented___________________________________________________________ 41 5.3: Achievements___________________________________________________________________48 5.5: Challenges_____________________________________________________________________ 48 6.0: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS PROGRAMME ________________________ 49 6.1: Background____________________________________________________________________ 49 6.2: Activities implemented___________________________________________________________ 49 6.3: Achievements___________________________________________________________________55 6.4: Challenges_____________________________________________________________________ 56 7.0: OUTREACH PROGRAMME _________________________________________________________ 57 7.1: Background____________________________________________________________________ 57 7.2: Activities implemented___________________________________________________________ 57 7.2.1: Wajir (Northern Kenya) Regional office______________________________________________5 7 7.2.2: Kapenguria (North Rift) Regional office______________________________________________5 9 7.3: Achievements of the outreach programme_____________________________________________5 8 8.0: CHAPTER THREE _________________________________________________________________ 62 8.1: Overall Conclusions______________________________________________________________ 62 8.2: Challenges in the reporting period___________________________________________________ 63 8.3: Key lessons learnt during the financial year____________________________________________6 3 Working towards a strong and vibrant human rights culture founded on equality and social justice for all in Kenya. Page 2 Page 2 Working towards a strong and vibrant human rights culture founded on equality and social justice for all in Kenya. KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) LIST OF ACRONYMS ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution AU African Union CHRI Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CSO Civil Society Organizations DCIO District Criminal Investigation Officer DFID Department for International Development ECK Electoral Commission of Kenya FY Financial Year GJLOS Governance Justice Law and Order Sector GTZ German Technical Cooperation HeRWAI Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument HRBA Human Rights Based Approach IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IEC Information, Education and Communication IMTC International Mines Training College ISO International Organization for Standardization K-HURINET Kenya Human Rights Network KIM Kenya Institute of Management KNCHR Kenya National Commission on Human Rights MOJCA Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs MOPA Movement for Political Accountability MTS 3 Medium Term strategy 3 NHRIs National Human Rights Institutions NTV Nation Television OCPD Officer Commanding Police Division OCS Officer Commanding Station ODM Orange democratic Movement OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights PCEA Presbyterian Church of Eastern Africa PEV Post-Election Violence PNU Party of National Unity RWI Raoul Wallenberg Institute SITAN Situation Analysis TJRC Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission UN United Nations UNDEF United Nations Democracy Fund UNDOC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund a strong and vibrant human rights culture founded on equality and social justice for all in . Page 3 Working towards a strong and vibrant human rights culture founded on equality and social justice for all in Kenya. Page 3 Working towards Kenya KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) CHAIRPERSON’S FOREWORD The period between July 2007 and June 2008 saw the country undergo one of the most hotly contested General Elections in Kenya’s history with the main contestants being the incumbent, PNU’s Mwai Kibaki and ODM’s Raila Odinga. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR, referred to in this report as the Commission) monitored the election campaigns and found them highly ethnicized with various cases of hate speech, incitement to violence and ethnic hatred, including through the media. This finding caused the Commission to draft and propose the enactment of a Prohibition of Hate Speech and Incitement to Ethnic Hatred Bill. Following the General Elections of December 2007, the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) released the results that were immediately contested by the ODM. The situation was exacerbated by the hurried swearing in of president Kibaki on 30th December 2007. The country was immersed in violence of unprecedented magnitude and it became clear, going by the statement of the ECK Chairman that we could not conclusively tell whether it was Raila Odinga or Mwai Kibaki who had won the elections. Violence then ensued between those who opposed and those who supported the decision of ECK to announce Mwai Kibaki as the next President of Kenya. Serious breaches of the rule of law and grave human rights violations, particularly of civil and political rights, were at a record high. These mainly took the form of open violence between supporters of Raila Odinga and those of Mwai Kibaki; police brutality against civilians protesting the election results with an apparent ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy against the protestors; violation of the rights to freedom of movement, peaceful assembly, personal security, massive forced displacement, and destruction of property; as well as killings that left an estimated 1,300 people dead. The emerging ethnic conflict resulted in more than 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of whom still remain in camps for the displaced. Thus the Commission, pursuant to its mandate under Section 16 of the KNCHR Act, spent the second half of the reporting year (from January 2008 to June 2008) investigating, documenting and reporting on the grave human rights violations occasioned by the post-election violence. The international community intervened in Kenya’s post-election violence to prevent the country from sinking into a full-fledged internal conflict. The AU’s Panel of Eminent Persons, led by the former UN Secretary General H.E. Koffi Annan, facilitated efforts towards peace-building and reconciliation that culminated in the signing of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act on Page 4 Working towards a strong and vibrant human rights culture founded on equality and social justice for all in Kenya. KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (KNCHR) 4th March 2008. The National Accord provides for a power sharing arrangement between PNU and ODM and sets the stage for the implementation of various reforms including constitutional, electoral, institutional, land and other reforms