Call for Nominations for the 2025 Human Rights Defenders Awards
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, criminal and administrative actions, legislative restrictions, negative rhetoric and limitation of human rights have undermined the constitutional and international protections available to […]
Outstanding Rights advocates feted at the annual Human Rights Defenders Awards
A total of eighteen human rights advocates were recognized on Friday 8 December 2023 for their trailblazing work in the promotion and protection of human rights. The awarding ceremony was held at the Royal Danish Embassy where various nominees were recognized under the Upcoming Human Rights Defender of the Year Award, Human Rights Defender of […]
Paul Muite Recognized at the HRD Awards 2023 – Lifetime Achievement Award
PAUL KIBUGI MUITE, S.C. IS A SENIOR LAWYER and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with 51 years of legal practice. He was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya in June 1970 and signed the roll of Senior Counsel in 2003. Paul K. Muite is an active member of […]
Sankara Nyangaya from Kajiado County – Nominee 6 of 6 of the Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
Sankara is a grassroot human defender and a member of the Ngong social justice and Environment center. Sankara advocates for ecological and social justice. He advocates against police brutality, gender based violence, land grabbing and river pollution through influencing change in public attitudes, policies and laws to create an inclusive, clean, friendly and socially just […]
PEMA Kenya from Mombasa County – Nominee 5 of 6 of the Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
Pema is a human rights organization that works on advocating for Gender and Sexual Minorities in Kenya. Pema Kenya promotes inclusivity of Gender and Sexual Minorities (GSM) through advocacy and capacity building with a vision of a society that embraces justice and diversity. They deploy the use of biometrics and health data, community-led monitoring; Conduct […]
Shiko Kihiko from Nakuru County – Nominee 4 of 6 of the Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
Shikoh works to address the negative impact of ethnicity among Kenyan youth. Through Tribless Youth, Shikoh works on shifting the politics from ethnicity to one based on issues, thus promoting peaceful co-existence. The group utilizes artivism, social media engagement, and traditional communication methods. Tribeless Youth’s decentralized leadership and operational structure, broadly online, gives it an […]
NGLHRC from Nairobi County – Nominee 3 of 6 of the Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
Njeri is a Human Rights Lawyer and defender working for the National Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission in Kenya. Njeri’s organization has been at the centers of a case that has highlighted the struggle for equality and human rights for all people with a bias towards sexual and gender minorities. Njeri, through her organization […]
Makambo Lotorobo from Turkana County – Nominee 2 of 6 of the Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
Makambo is a pastoralist land rights activist from Turkana County in North West Kenya. Makambo uses the Sarima Indigenous Peoples Land Forum (SIPLF), an organization he co-founded, to advocate for his community’s land rights in the face of large-scale infrastructures. The land is central to the pastoralists’ livelihood, and any annexation without due process disenfranchises […]
James Wakibia from Nairobi County – Nominee 1 of 6 of the Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
James is a human rights defender based in Nakuru who uses online media to highlight human violations in his community. His activism began when he was at school and he witnessed littering and authorities doing nothing about it thus violating the people’s fundamental human rights to a healthy environment. Since then, he knew that something […]
Dennis Orengo Juma From Nairobi County – Nominee 5 of 5 of the Upcoming Human Rights Defender of the Year Award Category
Dennis is a human rights defender working with a range of marginalized and vulnerable groups of the society. These include widows, Children, Refugees, Persons with Disabilities(PWDs) and victims of extrajudicial killings. Specifically, Dennis volunteers to do sign language interpretation in police stations and in courts of law whenever deaf persons are in conflict with the […]
