Introduction

The Defenders Coalition is a national membership organization established in 2007 and registered under Kenyan law as a trust. The Defenders Coalition works primarily to champion the safety, security and well-being of human rights defenders (HRDs). Among other pathways, the Defenders Coalition does this through strengthening the capacities of HRDs to work more effectively, besides advocating for favorable legal, policy and institutional environments to reduce their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and/or harm.

Defenders Coalition envisions a just society founded on human rights by championing for the safety, security and well-being of Human Rights Defenders. The Defenders Coalition believes that every individual is entitled to the rights and personal liberties, security and social justice and that HRDs play a frontline role of advancing the realization of these rights and freedoms as guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

Critical to these rights is the right to a free, fair, credible and peaceful election and to strengthen democratic practices. Defenders Coalition has over the time deployed human rights defenders to monitor and document human rights violations by state and non-state actors during the election process – prior to, during and post-election and assess the protection and respect of civic actors in the electoral process.

The Kenyan political landscape has been marred by violence targeting ethnic and political groups that are or are perceived to have different political opinions. Vocal human rights defenders and journalists have also not been spared. Key perpetrators have consistently been the police keen to protect the government in power seeking in its bid for re-election or support its preferred candidates which unleash violence on the opposing groups, and at the community, criminal gangs attack individuals perceived to not support the preferred candidates. Since 1992, there have been regional, widespread ethnic and politically instigated violence that has resulted in death, injuries, and destruction of property.

These actions have affected the conduct of free, fair, peaceful and credible elections. Although they have been fouled by local and international laws and practices. Defenders Coalition plays the critical watchdog role against such malpractices, often demanding for the electoral body (IEBC) to implement its mandate independently, unhindered and calling for accountability for violations.

Conscious of the fact that there are targeted attacks against women and WHRDs during the election period, Defenders Coalition envisions enhancing the capacities of WHRDs to monitor, document and report human rights violations that happen to individual WHRDs and women-led human rights organizations.

It’s on this basis that Defenders Coalition will conducted a two-day training of Monitoring, Documentation and Reporting for HRDs who will monitor the electoral process and human rights situation in the country during the 2022 election period. The training will equip the HRDs with advanced skills on monitoring and documentation of electoral malpractices, legislative framework on elections as well as safety and security during the monitoring period.