EU launches PLEAD programme to ensure equal justice for all Kenyans
Nairobi – 9th March 2018: The Judicial System in Kenya today received a fresh impetus in the quest to ensure equality for all Kenyans before the law, as the European Union launched the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery, PLEAD.
The PLEAD programme, launched together with partners from the United Nations and Kenya's Justice system, is in line with the EU's key fundamental values which include respect for human dignity and human rights, equality and the rule of law. PLEAD will respond to challenges of social inequality or extreme poverty, which hinder access to legal services and equitable representation before the law. It includes support to the Department of Justice to ensure the implementation of the new constitutional and regulatory framework on legal aid, thus strengthening the rule of law.
Although the right to legal aid is included in the constitution of Kenya, currently it is only available in murder and treason charges. Under the new constitutional dispensation, all citizens have a right to legal aid at state expense. PLEAD will support access to legal aid for the poor and vulnerable groups from 12 counties: Wajir, Mandera, Lamu, Tana River, Garissa, Marsabit, Isiolo, Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa, Uasin Gishu and Nakuru. It will also support the institutions in the justice sector to implement the Legal Aid Bill, strengthen court administration and case management and increase efficiency in the Criminal Justice System.
During the launch, Mr Bruno Pozzi, Chargé D'Affaires a.i at the EU Delegation to Kenya said "When the rule of law is respected a democracy can flourish. Crucial elements for the Rule of law are the effective functioning of the institutions in the justice sector, and the independence of the judiciary."
The five-year program, which is the EU's largest in the Justice Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, will be implemented by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UNDP through its Amkeni Wakenya facility and will support several key actors in Kenya's justice system, including the Department of Justice, the Judiciary, the National Council on the Administration of Justice, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, the Witness Protection Agency and the Kenya Probation and Aftercare Service.
PLEAD, being launched a day after the International Women's Day, will also actively address the needs of women and girls, who are more often victims of crime than perpetrators, by ensuring provision of legal aid and assistance to women and girls.
Some of the expected outcomes include:
- Enhanced access to legal aid and assistance, especially for the poor and vulnerable,
- Support to Amkeni Wakenya, UNDP led facility supporting local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to ensure that the local civil society continue to contribute to the delivery of legal aid services under the new legal framework and under the supervision of the Department of Justice
- Enhanced court administration and case management nationally and in the 12 programme counties. This includes technical assistance, training, equipment and infrastructure to build the capacity of the courts of primary jurisdictions (Magistrates' Courts) and their supervisory authorities to deliver justice in a manner that is expeditious and compliant with the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya.
- Increased quality and efficiency in the criminal justice system, including increased ability of the judicial system to handle and determine criminal cases efficiently and in compliance with the Bill of Rights.
- Improved coherence, cooperation and collaboration within the justice sector through capacity-building of the National Council on the Administration of Justice