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Quick information guide

National, Regional and International legal frameworks have provisions on promoting access to justice for all:

  • The Constitution, 2010 has rafts of provisions, specifically Articles 10, 48, 50, 159 and 174.
  • The Government committed to provide state funded legal aid and education as conduits to enhancing access to justice.
  • Kenya developed a robust legal and policy framework aimed at promoting legal aid to expand access to justice to her citizens.
  • Existence of a Legal Aid National Action Plan 2017-2022 

Key Regional and International frameworks 

African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa

  • Article 8 (a,c and f) Women and men are equal before the law and shall have the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. The Charter obliges parties to pay particular attention to women's access to legal aid

Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women

  • Article 2(b and c) mandates state parties to adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, to prohibit discrimination against women;
  • Article 15(1 and 2) urges state parties to accord to women equality with men before the law;

Accessing Legal Aid in Kenya

In Kenya, legal aid has been offered by both state and non-state actors since independence in 1963. Non-state  is a  major  provider and until 2015 it operated  without  any  clear  legal,  institutional  and  coordination framework.

The enactment of the National Legal Aid and Awareness Policy, 2015 and the Legal Aid Act 2016, Kenya adopted a collaborative and systemic approach that brings together both state and non-state actors in the delivery of legal aid.

Through the National Legal Aid and Awareness Programme (NALEAP), the Government of Kenya has developed the National Legal Aid and Awareness Policy (NLAAP) which addresses issues pertaining to legal aid and access to justice in the country.

The National Legal Aid and Awareness Policy:

  1. emphasizes on the  need  to  ensure  the  right  to  legal  aid  as  a  constitutional  right; 
  2. recognizes  disparities  in  provision  of  legal  aid  and  provides  relevant  policy  directions; 
  3. ensures  multi-sectoral  approach  to  addressing  poor  provision  of  legal  aid  in  the  country;  and 
  4. ensures evidence-based planning and resource allocation.

More Information

angle-left The Center For Rights Education And Awareness (CREAW)

The Center For Rights Education And Awareness (CREAW)

About CREAW This Center for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) is a registered, non-profit national women’s rights non-governmental organization. It was founded in 1998 by women lawyers who had common goals and a shared purpose to confront the low awareness of women’s needs and rights in Kenya.

 

Access to justice

With the shrinking resources for supporting free legal aid and representation CREAW is prioritizing supporting implementation of the National Legal Aid Act which provides for systems and structures to provide free legal aid and representation Country wide

Services provided

Leadership and Governance

The organization has been at the front line for pushing for the achievement of the 2/3rd gender rule set up by Kenya’s constitution to ensure no sphere of the country’s leadership has more than two thirds of any gender.

The organization also goes further to advocate for women leadership in all spheres of society

Read more

 

Integrated services for survivors of SGBV

In partnerships with local government, police, civil society, religious leaders and the community, CREAW, through our programme “Suluhisho Ni Mimi” (meaning “you are the answer” in Swahili), not only provides services to survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence but also works to strengthen the response of the legal and health systems and sensitize the community to instances of SGBV through advocacy, media.

 

   Building healthy communities

CREAW invests directly in communities with high rates of sexual and gender based violence to create space for dialogue, which deconstructs patriarchy, and addresses the flawed masculinity and harmful traditional cultural narratives that limit equal opportunities and realization of women’s rights

Online presence

Blogs   

Multimedia 

Videos  

Newsletter  

Publications

 

Contacts

Head office
Elgeyo Marakwet Close Hse No 1,
Kilimani off Elgeyo Marakwet Rd

Telephone: +254 202 378 271
P.O. Box 35470- 00100

Email: info@creaw.org
Web: www.creawkenya.org

Kibera Satellite Office                
Kibera Drive, Next to KBS Driving School
Kibera, Nairobi
Mobile: +254 0719 437 286

KILIFI OFFICES
Off Malindi Road Mnarani, Kilifi – (Moving the GoalPosts Offices), Kenya
Mobile: +254 757 29 70 90

MERU OFFICES
MAKUTANO – ST. PETER’S Anglican Church Compound Opp. Kinoru Stadium
Mobile: +254 798 98 56 07