Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Kenya’s Kisumu County have launched a free legal clinic to support the disadvantaged and underprivileged members of society in accessing justice.
Development Diaries reports that the campaign, titled ‘Legal Aid and Artivism Forum in Kisumu’, will take place on the first Saturday of every month, according to the CSOs.
It is understood that Kisumu Peace and Justice Centre partnered with Transparency International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, Haki Africa, and the Menezes Foundation to carry out the monthly awareness campaign.
Rule of law reforms in many African countries remains fragile, leaving marginalised populations highly vulnerable to exclusion, discrimination and extreme poverty.
Speaking during the launch of the clinic, human rights activist, Boniface Akach, said legal experts would use the platform to sensitise the public to their rights.
‘We will be having conversations with legal panel experts; this will involve having thematic artistic performances that are also geared towards igniting conversations towards human rights, access to justice, and artivism as a tool for promoting social justice’, Kenya News Agency quoted Akach as saying.
For her part, Transparency International Kenya Coordinator, Elizabeth Daya, hailed the project, adding that it would enhance matters of access to justice.
‘We support the community on various issues they face on a daily basis. In our community, we usually encounter cases that touch on land matters, the rights of arrested persons, and gender-based violence’, Daya said.
Photo source: Kisumu Peace and Justice Centre
