NAIROBI, Kenya- Katiba Institute will mark 15 years of work on constitutionalism, human rights and accountable governance with a three-week digital campaign beginning October 26.
The Nairobi-based organisation said the campaign, running until November 13, will feature stories about its founding, landmark cases, publications and work over the years.
It will also include reflections from current and former staff and partners, and consider challenges facing Kenya’s constitutional future.
Founded in 2011, Katiba Institute works to promote understanding and implementation of the 2010 Constitution through public interest litigation, research and civic engagement.
Its work includes human rights, devolution, leadership and integrity, gender, elections, the environment and access to information.
The anniversary campaign will run under the theme “15 Years of Constitutionalism, Impact and Legacy”.
Katiba Institute said it will use historical photographs, documents, publications and personal reflections to trace its development and highlight the people involved in building the organisation.
The campaign will honour co-founders Professor Yash Pal Ghai and Jill Cottrell Ghai, as well as the institute’s first executive director, Waikwa Wanyoike.
A central feature will pay tribute to Professor Ghai’s contribution to constitutionalism and human rights in Kenya and beyond.
Katiba Institute said it began with fewer than 10 staff and now has more than 22.
It said its work has expanded beyond Kenya as regional and international organisations draw on the country’s constitutional experience.
“Fifteen years of Katiba Institute is a story of commitment to the Constitution and the people of Kenya,” Executive Director Nora Mbagathi said.
She said the organisation’s work had sought to make constitutional rights protections people could claim in their daily lives.
Mbagathi thanked communities, partners, staff and supporters, and said the institute would continue its work on constitutionalism, human rights and accountable governance.
Board Chair Abdul Noormohamed said the anniversary was an opportunity to recognise the institute’s contribution and the continuing need to defend the Constitution.
He said the milestone honoured the founders and the people who had built the organisation, while reminding the public that constitutionalism required sustained commitment.
Focus on rights and accountability
The institute said its current strategic priorities include the rule of law, fundamental rights and freedoms, climate and natural resource protection, human rights in the digital world, and institutional wellbeing.
The anniversary comes as debate continues over how fully the 2010 Constitution has been implemented.
The charter established protections for fundamental rights, public participation and accountable leadership, but Katiba Institute said realising those provisions requires continued public engagement and effective accountability.
The institute’s work has included litigation seeking to enforce constitutional protections, as well as civic education and access-to-information initiatives. Its stated mission is to promote constitutionalism through research, public interest litigation and civic engagement.
Katiba Institute has invited constitutional scholars, human rights defenders, civil society organisations, journalists, public institutions, development partners and members of the public to take part in the #KatibaInstituteAt15 campaign.
The institute said the anniversary would look back on its work while considering the challenges and opportunities ahead. It said it would continue to defend human rights and promote public accountability in Kenya and beyond.
