Nomination Call Now Open-HRD Awards 11th Edition!
Civic space in Kenya continues to be under pressure as a range of actions are being directed against the work of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and Civil Society organizations in Kenya. Physical attacks, criminalization, administrative actions, legislative restrictions, negative rhetoric and limitation of human rights have undermined the constitutional and international protections available to HRDs. […]
Joint Statement in the Context of the Ongoing Stay-Away and Economic Boycott Over Rising Fuel Costs
NAIROBI Tuesday, May 19, 2026: The Law Society of Kenya and the Police Reforms Working Group express grave concern over the violence witnessed yesterday in the context of the ongoing stay-away and economic boycott over rising fuel costs. At least four deaths have been reported. We call on all actors, especially the National Police Service […]
Statement on Human Rights at the 87th African Commission on People’s and Human Rights
The National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders–Kenya appreciates the opportunity to address the Commission on the situation of human rights defenders and civic space in Kenya. Honourable Chairperson, We welcome the High Court decision declaring section 95(1)(b) of the Penal Code, being the offence of creating disturbance likely to cause a breach of the peace […]
The Story of Maxie Daniel
Maxie Daniel-Kisumu County “My silence will not protect me.” For many, the walls of a home are a sanctuary. For Maxmiller “Maxie” Orwa, growing up, those walls often echoed with whispers, the muffled sounds of violence and abuse that the community had learned to treat as “normal.” But Maxie was never good at looking away. She saw […]
Shadow Report on Kenya’s 14th Periodic Report on the African Charter and Maputo Protocol
Shadow Report on Kenya’s 14th Periodic Report on the African Charter and Maputo Protocol This report, drafted by the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Kenya (Defenders Coalition) and DefendDefenders, (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) is intended for the consideration of the Commission during its 87th Ordinary session scheduled to take […]
The Story of Lavina Oduor
Lavina Oduor Kisumu County For twenty years, she witnessed a battle fought within her childhood home, watching her mother shoulder the weight of her brother’s schizophrenia against a backdrop of community stigma. What began as a daughter’s helping hand evolved into a lifelong manifesto: that the hands caring for the broken should never have to tremble […]
The Ride Towards Menstrual Dignity
In the stretches of Tana River County, silence has long been a heavy garment for adolescent girls. It is a silence woven from the threads of ancient taboos and the hollow ache of school desks left empty during menstrual cycle. For Milka Hadida, this wasn’t just a community struggle; it was her own that led her to her human rights work in 2014. She proves that […]
A Story Woven in Courage and Community
Kuresha Bille Isiolo County From the vibrant gateway to the north of Kenya,Isiolo town, Kuresha Bille traces the beginning of her human rights journey back to 2016. Over the years, her memory has become a living archive of both the scars and resilience of her community. Witnessing the devastating impact of land conflicts often exposing women and girls to gender-based violence, systemic exclusion, and […]
10th HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
10th HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED 27th March 2026, Nairobi, Kenya The Working Group on Human Rights Defenders, Defenders Coalition and the European Union in Kenya congratulates the awardees and nominees of the 10th Human Rights Defenders Awards after a feting ceremony held on 27th March 2026 in Nairobi. The awardees of the 10th […]
Hon Dr Solomon Ayele Dersso:Global Solidarity Award Nominee
Hon Dr Solomon Ayele Dersso (PhD) – Commissioner, ACHPR Hon Dr Solomon A Dersso (PhD), an Ethiopian legal scholar and human rights expert is the founder and current CEO of Addis Ababa-based Amani Africa, a pan-African policy research think tank (https://amaniafrica-et.org/). Hon Solomon Dersso currently serves as a Commissioner with the African Commission on Human […]