This survey set out to assess Human Rights Defenders’ (HRDs’) level of exposure, understanding and perception of communication surveillance as well as identify their strategies for mitigating it. It was guided by broad research questions around the norms and legal frameworks that govern right to privacy; the emerging patterns of how the State uses these laws and how they affect HRDs and their work.
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Defenders Coalition started monitoring and documenting the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Kenyan citizens and the human rights defenders community in March 2020 in response to emerging reports of human rights violations in the enforcement of the various measures that the Kenya state put in place to manage the spread of the CoronaVirus. The monitoring exercise was conducted by Defenders Coalition in partnership with a network of human rights defenders across the country. This activity was conducted in the context of restrictive measures like cessation of movements and mandatory quarantine, have affected on the capacity of human rights actors, reach affected communities and individuals to document violations and offer timely service including access to justice for victims and accountability.
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Majority of the HRDs in Nairobi County have tertiary education, most are engaged in self employment, and 80% are affiliated to organisation which are pro-human rights defenders and 69% do not have regular income. The work of human rights defenders is important to promote and protect human rights and the rule of law. This can be achieved through regular training on the rights of HRDs. The report identified that 85% of the human rights defenders need support on human rights and advocacy, support further training on human rights, support on self-care, support on medical care and employment opportunities.
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The Sengwer are a minority and marginalized hunter-gatherer indigenous community that occupies West Pokot, Trans-Nzoia, and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties. They consist of 21 clans each headed by an elder. According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, there were 33,187 Sengwer living both inside and outside the Embobut forest which covers about 12,000 hectares and is part of the Cherangany Hills Forest (one of Kenya’s five major water-catchment areas). Over the years, the Kenyan government has attempted to forcefully evict the Sengwer from Embobut under the guise of forest conservation. These forceful evictions contribute to serious human rights violations in addition to the infringement of the Sengwer’s sustainable utilization of forest resources. The evictions further deprive them of their livelihood, identity, cultural survival, and forest life.
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The guide looks at risks and threats, and how LGBQ persons and SOGIE HRDs can respond to them. It also provides information and explanation on what contributes to security risks and threats, the essential guidelines for safety and security, plus tools and strategies on how LGBQ persons and SOGIE HRDs can improve their safety, protection and security. It also covers personal and organizational security planning, plus information on digital security for your devices, accounts and communications. It provides essential framework for security analysis and planning as well as the support mechanisms available in Kenya for SOGIE HRDs.
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A defender is characterized by the activity of promoting and protecting human rights. In answering the question ‘Why Focus on WHRDs, the report provides a starting point on the understanding of the challenges faced by WHRDs in Kenya in the course of their human rights work and the reasons why WHRDs in Kenya face these challenges in the course of their human rights work. Women Human Rights Defenders, who put themselves on the front line in the promotion and protection of human rights, are subject to the same types of risks faced by their male HRDs, but as women, they are also targeted for or exposed to gender-specific violence and violations that have gendered consequences.
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Several key issues emerge in the report. First, since 2003, the legal, policy and administrative space for HRDs in Kenya has deteriorated. An increasingly antagonistic relationship between civil society and government has prevailed, triggered by among other things Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs) advocacy in favour of the Kenyan cases before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and CSOs’ demands for respect for rule of law in security operations. Second, as a result of CSOs and HRDs advocacy activities, the State has pursued retrogressive measures that curtail the work of HRDs and CSOs through the enactment of laws that criminalize their work. Legislation such as the Security Laws (Amendment) Act (SLAA) 1 and attempts to amend the Public Benefit Organisations Act2 before it comes into force, points to the State’s determination to control the operation of CSOs in Kenya. Third, the media, including social media, has also borne a heavy burden of restrictive laws such as the SLAA, the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Act 3 and the Media Council Act 4.
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STAYING SAFE- A PROTECTION GUIDE FOR JOURNALISTS IN KENYA
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USALAMA KAZINI -MWONGOZO KUHUSU USALAMA WA WAANDISHI WA HABARI NCHINI KENYA
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