NAIROBI, Kenya – Veteran human rights defender and former United Nations Special Rapporteur, Maina Kiai, has been appointed chairperson of the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) board of directors, marking a return to the organization he helped found.
Kiai, a prominent constitutional lawyer and outspoken advocate for civil liberties, served as KHRC’s founding executive director.
He also held the position of inaugural chair of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) from 2003 to 2008—a period that cemented his reputation as a fearless voice against impunity and corruption, particularly during the 2007–08 post-election violence.
He takes over from Davinder Lamba, who steered the commission through a challenging political environment, and will be deputized by rights advocate Betty Okero.
“A Fearless Chapter” in Human Rights Defense
In a statement issued Thursday, KHRC described Kiai’s return as the start of “a renewed and fearless chapter in defending human rights and freedoms,” amid what the commission called “relentless assaults” on democratic governance across Kenya and the wider region.
“He assumes the leadership of the human rights sector at a time when the soul of the nation and region is under relentless assault from severe governance abuses manifested in gross violations of fundamental freedoms and rampant grand corruption,” the commission stated.
Accepting the appointment, Kiai delivered a characteristically defiant message:
“Kenya is under attack by a regime that fears its people. But we will not blink. I am committed to guiding KHRC to resist, expose, and push back against any force—be it the William Ruto regime or its enablers—that tramples rights, freedoms, and the Constitution.”
A Global Voice for Human Rights
Kiai has served in a string of influential global roles, most recently as Director of Alliances and Partnerships at Human Rights Watch.
His work has earned him international recognition, including a ceremonial enthronement as a paramount chief of the Mende community in Sierra Leone for his contribution to justice and democracy.
His other past roles include:
- Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme (1999–2001)
- Africa Director of the International Human Rights Law Group (now Global Rights)
- Executive Director of the International Council on Human Rights Policy, a Geneva-based think tank
As UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (2011–2017), Kiai issued hard-hitting reports on authoritarian crackdowns globally, including in Kenya.
Kiai’s appointment comes at a politically charged moment. KHRC has recently clashed with President William Ruto’s administration, especially over the Hustler Fund, a flagship government program the commission accused of poor design and high default rates.
Ruto, in turn, dismissed KHRC’s report as “politically motivated.”
