Devolution and public participation are perhaps two of the most exemplary innovations of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. In Article 174(c), the Constitution states that one of the ‘objects of devolution are: “to give powers of self-governance to the people and enhance the participation of people in the exercise of the powers of the State and in making decisions affecting them.” Read More
The National Treasury disbursed 4 billion to the NGCDF kitty in January 2023. This was done against the backdrop of a supreme court verdict that declared the fund unconstitutional. Here, our Governance Lead, Marius Kioko looks at why the move by the National Treasury is offensive to the rule of law and constitutionalism. Read More
While six million Kenyans require food assistance and the rest complain of the high cost of living, it is boomtime for the banking industry. For the first nine months of 2022, ABSA posted a post-tax profit of 10.7bn. For the same period, NCBA did better still at 12.8bn, although it is not clear if that figure includes the 350m that they had failed to remit to the Kenya Revenue Authority. But KCB outshone them all with its post-tax profit of 30.6bn. Read More
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an annual campaign that begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs through International Human Rights Day on 10 December.
Haki Yetu Organization has actively participated in every year of the 16 days of Activism ever since its formation. This year was no different, we were on the frontline and joined civil societies and other actors in campaigns against Gender-Based Violence under the theme “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls.”
Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) especially against women and children remains the most pervasive human rights violation globally. This violence undermines a person’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It affects not only physical health but also mental health and may lead to self-harm, isolation, depression and suicide.
The Coastal Counties of Kenya are one of the most affected regions when it comes to SGBV. According to statistics gathered by Mombasa County Gender Based Violence Mental Health Programme, SGBV cases have increased from 1,865 recorded last year to 4,477 cases reported as of June 2022. This goes to show that SGBV is a major thorn in all the Coastal Counties and that there is a lot of work to be done.
On Friday 14th October 2022, Haki Yetu Organisation launched a research report entitled: ‘Housing For Who?’ at Nyali Sun Africa Hotels. The launch was geared to underscore the need to understand how the housing crisis and the land question in Mombasa should be addressed.
The report analyses the place of the poor in urban development.
We spend many of our waking hours and adult lives at work. Many factors influence the mental health of employees at the office. Workplace issues including poor communication, management practices, limited participation in decision-making, long or inflexible working hours and lack of team cohesion may cause a significant tumble in the wellbeing of employees at the expense of their mental health. Working environments where rapid, life-saving decisions need to be made, or where staff are frontline workers handling cases of traumatized victims come with their own psychological and emotional challenges.
Since 2015, Haki Yetu Organization (Haki Yetu) has been promoting and facilitating the use of the Active Non-Violence (ANV) approach to hold leaders accountable without loss of life and destruction of property. ANV seeks to build friendship and understanding and leads to redemption and reconciliation.
In April 2022, Haki Yetu organization conducted a two-day ANV training for the bodaboda leadership of Nyali Sub-County with the theme #Kataakutumiwa (Swahili for “Refuse to be manipulated”). This was followed by a dialogue between security actors and bodaboda members to overcome common issues and foster mutual understanding which ultimately resulted in local drivers forming a new group called the Kadzandani (a neighbourhood in Nyali) group. This group then conducted community outreaches to make it clear that they are refusing to be manipulated in the future.
In 2016, the County Government of Mombasa, through a public-private partnership project dubbed “Urban Renewal and Redevelopment of Old Estates”, sought to demolish old estates of Mombasa in order to build 30,000 apartments as part of its contribution to the Big Four Agenda. 90% of the units would go to the investor and the county would remain with 10% that could be occupied by the tenants of old estates. Read More