Githu Muigai defends laws at UN talks

The government on Thursday took to the international stage to defend the recent security and media laws amid criticism that they were restricting civil liberties.

Attorney-General Githu Muigai told a UN meeting in Geneva that the government is keen on respecting human rights even as it implements laws against terrorism.

Of concern to critics is how the new security laws, which have since been challenged in court, limit the civil rights activists, the media and opposition politics.

Prof Muigai, who led a government delegation to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, said Kenya “appreciates” the work of activists.

“Kenya does not interfere with the work of human rights defenders and civil society organisations. There are no human rights defenders in prison in Kenya,” he told the session.

Prof Muigai was presenting Kenya’s record on human rights as the UPR examined the country’s scorecard based on information provided by the government and reports of human rights experts and groups.

Kenya’s record was being examined for the first time since 2010 and the government was expected to make a report on the more than 140 recommendations it received five years ago.

Some of the key recommendations made in the first review were that the government investigates the 2007/8 post-election violence with a view to prosecuting the perpetrators, compensating victims of torture and protecting human rights defenders.

Prof Muigai argued the government was already implementing the Constitution passed in 2010 to guarantee more freedoms. He said Kenya was also reforming the police service to make sure it adheres to the law.

He added that the government was fighting corruption, resettling IDPs and that it now has an independent Judiciary.

However, some human rights organisations argued that the Security Laws (Amendment) Act meant to fight terrorism has taken away some freedoms, citing disruption of protests and targeting of bloggers and activists.

“The recent laws have rolled back the gains we had earned over the years. But as the national human rights commission, we will never tire to fight. There is no compromise about it,” Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Kagwiria Mbogori told the Nation during a live stream of the session at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi.

During the review, Sweden recommended that Kenya reviews the Information and Communication Act and Media Council Act to safeguard rights and space for civil society.