Riara Law School Faculty Give Lectures at Kenya National Commission on Human Rights
On 11th September, 2015, Professor Sylvia Kang’ara, Ms. Florence Shako and Ms. Caroline Lichuma were invited to give talks on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) at the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). The Commission is a National Human Rights Institution established by Article 59 of the Constitution. Its mandate is to ensure promotion and protection of human rights in Kenya by inter alia, receiving and investigating complaints of human rights violations with a view to obtaining appropriate redress. The Commission has embarked on a process of streamlining the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution in its complaints-handling work.
The three Riara Law School faculty members gave talks on how to increase the application of human rights principles and standards in institutions as well as mechanisms of justice using ADR. They helped to give tools and guidelines on the use of ADR within KNCHR that will help in the institutionalization of ADR. Prof. Kang’ara, an international law expert, gave insights on the role of third parties in the ADR process as well as enforcement in ADR. Ms. Lichuma, a human rights lecturer, further explained the application of ADR in human rights disputes while Ms. Shako, an ADR lecturer, explained the different ADR mechanisms that the Commission could employ and factors to consider while choosing the various mechanisms for application in the human rights arena. The talks were well received and further discussions on the same will be carried out as the Commission’s ADR manual is developed.