The Problem
Kenya’s human rights trajectory has remained a concern, with authorities failing to ensure accountability for serious abuses. There is a big threat to civil liberties as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and other international instruments. In August Kenyans went to elections and a new government was ushered in. There are, however, key concerns as regards the protection of civil liberties amongst the citizens. The exercise of power by the different regimes has seen limitations of civic freedoms for several citizens. The security sector has also seen numerous changes and improvements. The gains have been seen in enhanced budget, better vehicles, more police stations and posts, and streamlining of the police command. Other improvements include the removal of police service from the provincial administration and the alignment of police housing to community policing. However, in the recent events and actions, we have witnessed continued instrumentalization of the police, Kenya recorded the highest violations by the police in 2022. Kenyan authorities have failed to investigate and act against security forces, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. While senior government officials publicly promise to respect freedom of association, assembly, expression, and media, the working environment for bloggers, journalists, and civic actors remains hostile and continue to threaten, arrest, kill/murder journalists, human right defenders, marginalized groups and communities. Other threats to civil liberties include negative populism, evangelization or moralization of politics and the rise of the corporate culture. There is also influence on key institutions including parliament, the judiciary and other independent offices. Human rights defenders are more at risk than ever before with the voices of CSOs becoming muted and disjointed. Civil society sector is also not spared from internal and external challenges. The CSO continue to witness fragmentation manifested in the form of competition for funding and initiatives; duplication of programs and limited synergy building; loss of voice and credibility; loss of capacity to deliver on civic space protection as well as to own and propagate positive narratives; and loss of agency among CSOs, marginalized groups and communities. Most CSOs also suffer from limited institutional capacity which further contributes to limited access to funding.
The Intervention
PEN Kenya aims to build the capacity of Civic Freedoms Forum (CFF) to realize its mandate of providing a platform for consolidation and coordination of civil society actions in the promotion and protection of civil liberties.
Goals and Outcomes:
Goal: In ten years, the Kenya Government adopts legal measures that expand civic space.
Intended Outcomes:
The implementation of this program is intended to result into:
- Increase in state accountability and commitment towards human rights using data research.
- Enhance capacity and knowledge of civil society on civil and democratic space for collective action.
- CFF have stronger institutional and advocacy capacity to influence enabling environment for civil society in Kenya.
Target Groups, Location, Duration and Collaborations
This project will be implemented nationally and Siaya, Machakos and Mombasa counties. PEN and CFF will not only continue with the collaborations and partnerships elaborated above but also enter additional collaborations. PEN Kenya and CFF will provide education and awareness creation for state agencies and CSOs on civic space legislations and policies that affect civic and democratic space to enhance the operating environment for civil society; partner with leading CSOs and CSO networks working on human rights monitoring to consolidate data on violations and civic space trends. Some of the key partnerships will include working closely with CFF members {such as IMLU (on data concerning police actions), Defenders Coalition (on data concerning human rights
The project which is funded by Ford Foundation will last for 12months.
