A coalition of civil society organisations has voiced opposition to Kenya’s candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), arguing Nairobi has not sorted its respect for civil liberties.
Kenya is bidding for a seat for the 2025-2027 time period, on the UN physique that assesses respect for rights and civil liberties globally. Whereas its selections will not be binding, nations on the Council typically have alternative to foyer for constructive experiences on personal document on human rights.
However in an open letter, the teams urged UN member States to reject Kenya’s candidacy, citing a sequence of abuses they attribute to President William Ruto’s administration.
The coalition of organisations, together with the Kenya Human Rights Fee (KHRC) and Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), claimed that systemic violations equivalent to illegal killings, abductions and police brutality have endured, undermining Kenya’s obligations beneath each nationwide and worldwide human rights frameworks.
“Two years into President Ruto’s time period, Kenyans proceed to witness a deeply entrenched tradition of impunity. Many have fallen victims to gross and systemic human rights violations,” the letter said.
On September 27, Kenya formally submitted its utility for a seat in a vote set for late Wednesday, Nairobi time, in New York.
This candidacy is a part of Kenya’s broader efforts to boost its international standing and contribute to worldwide human rights governance, Nairobi argued then.
The UN Basic Meeting, the place member states vote on council candidates, will deliberate on Kenya’s bid alongside others.
Nevertheless, Kenya’s utility has confronted important opposition from home and worldwide civil society organisations. Among the many incidents cited was the brutal suppression of protests towards the 2024 Finance Invoice, throughout which at the least 60 folks have been killed.
The police have additionally been accused of abducting 65 people and unlawfully detaining over 1,400 peaceable demonstrators. The scenario was additional aggravated in September, when hanging college staff and college students have been met with teargas and arrests.
“The Kenyan police have an extended historical past of violently suppressing unbiased establishments and dissenting voices. “Right now, the police stay the state’s main brokers of repression,” the letter said partially.
Over the previous two years, police have dedicated huge violations towards residents. Within the first six months of this 12 months alone, police used extreme power towards hanging medics and residents of casual settlements opposing arbitrary displacements throughout floods,” the letter said.
Along with the human rights violations, the civil society teams condemned the federal government’s financial insurance policies, describing them as anti-people and dangerous to the nation’s most susceptible populations. The letter known as consideration to the Social Well being Insurance coverage Fund (SHIF), oppressive taxation, and discriminatory growth applications, all of which have exacerbated social and financial inequalities.
“This regime has made a number of anti-people selections affecting their social and financial wellbeing. This contains the oppressive Social Well being Insurance coverage Fund (SHIF), the flawed college funding mannequin, a punitive taxation system, unaccounted public debt, and widespread corruption. We’ve got additionally witnessed discriminatory entry to state appointments and growth primarily based on ethnicity, area, and political affiliations, in violation of Article 27 of the Structure. Moreover, the implementation of the two-thirds gender rule, as suggested by the Supreme Courtroom, stays unfulfilled,” the letter said.
The teams urged the UN and the African Union (AU) to reject Kenya’s candidacy, warning that granting the nation a seat on the council would undermine the credibility of the UN Human Rights Council. In addition they known as for worldwide investigations into Kenya’s human rights document, emphasizing the necessity for accountability and justice for the victims of state violence and repression.
“We urge the UN and the worldwide neighborhood to reject Kenya’s request for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Granting such a place would severely undermine the credibility and mandate of the UN and its potential to carry perpetrators accountable. We name upon the UN to make the most of its mechanisms to research the intense human rights violations in Kenya, set up the reality, guarantee victims obtain justice, and maintain these accountable accountable earlier than the UN Meeting of State Events,” learn the letter.
“We urge the African Union (AU) to right away withdraw its help for Kenya’s bid. As an alternative, the AU ought to leverage its Fee on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the African Courtroom of Justice to make sure efficient treatments and forestall future violations.”
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), shaped in 2006, is crucial for selling and safeguarding human rights world wide. It addresses numerous human rights violations, carries out the Common Periodic Evaluation for member states, and appoints unbiased specialists to deal with particular human rights considerations.
The council is made up of 47 member states which are elected via a secret poll by the UN Basic Meeting, guaranteeing that totally different areas are represented.
