When a dispute is resolved through dialogue instead of litigation, when divided families find common ground, or when communities choose reconciliation over conflict, what does justice truly look like? Can justice be measured by the number of cases concluded, or should it be seen in stronger families, peaceful communities, and restored relationships? Is justice simply about reaching a legal decision, or is it about restoring relationships, rebuilding trust, and enabling communities to live together in peace?

These thought-provoking questions and the pursuit of Data-Driven Pathways for People-Centred Justice in Kenya, the theme of the conference, set the tone for the 4th National Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) Conference, held from 16–19 June 2026 at Embu University. The four-day conference brought together an unprecedented gathering of justice leaders, including judges, magistrates, policymakers, researchers, community justice practitioners, civil society organisations, county governments, traditional dispute resolution practitioners, academia, and development partners from across Africa. Together, they explored how justice systems can become more responsive to the needs of the people they serve by placing communities, dignity, and lasting solutions at the centre of justice delivery.

“Traditionally, justice systems have relied on indicators such as case filings, case clearance rates, backlog reduction, and the speed of case resolution. These measures remain important… However, they do not always capture the full experience of justice from the perspective of the people we serve.” Hon. Justice Martha Koome, Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya

For Kituo Cha Sheria, the conference was a valuable platform to contribute to the growing national and continental conversation on people-centred justice. Throughout the event, the organisation engaged with justice sector actors, exchanged experiences, and strengthened its commitment to ensuring that justice is not only accessible but also meaningful, inclusive, and transformative for the communities it serves.

A key highlight of Kituo Cha Sheria’s participation was its exhibition booth, which attracted delegates from across the justice sector eager to learn about the organisation’s work in advancing Alternative Justice Systems and legal empowerment. The booth showcased Kituo’s decades of experience in promoting community-led justice through legal aid, community paralegal programmes, mediation, legal empowerment initiatives, and advocacy for Alternative Justice Systems. Through publications, resource materials, and interactions with delegates, Kituo demonstrated how empowering communities to understand, use, and shape the law contributes to peaceful dispute resolution, stronger institutions, and improved access to justice. The exhibition also created opportunities to build new partnerships, share best practices, and highlight the important role civil society continues to play in advancing people-centred justice in Kenya.

Throughout the conference, discussions challenged participants to rethink how justice is measured. While court performance has traditionally been assessed through indicators such as cases filed, concluded, and clearance rates, participants argued that these measures tell only part of the story. Equally important are outcomes that are often less visible but far more meaningful, whether relationships have been restored, communities have reconciled, rights have been protected, and future conflicts prevented.

“We must move from counting cases to measuring justice, from throughput to outcomes, from efficiency to human flourishing. That is the future.” Hon. Justice (Prof) Joel Ngugi, Chair, NaSCI-AJS.

These conversations strongly resonated with Kituo’s work across Kenya. For over five decades, the organisation has supported vulnerable and marginalised communities through legal aid, community legal empowerment, public interest litigation, and the promotion of Alternative Justice Systems. Its experience has consistently demonstrated that sustainable justice extends beyond legal outcomes to include dignity, participation, accountability, and social cohesion.

The conference also reinforced the growing recognition of Alternative Justice Systems as an essential pillar of Kenya’s justice architecture. As implementation of Article 159 of the Constitution continues to deepen, stakeholders emphasised the importance of strengthening community-based justice mechanisms while generating evidence that demonstrates their impact on people’s lives.

“AJS are not just an alternative for the vast majority of Kenyans. They are the primary choice.” H.E. Patrick Ole Ntutu, Governor of Narok County

The culmination of the conference marked another significant milestone for the AJS movement in Africa. The event was attended by 16 Chief Justices from across the continent, highlighting the growing continental commitment to people-centred justice and the exchange of innovative approaches to expanding access to justice. The conference also witnessed the official launch of the Embu Alternative Justice Systems Suite, a landmark initiative that strengthens institutional support for community-based dispute resolution and further embeds Alternative Justice Systems within Kenya’s justice sector.

The conference concluded with a clear message: the future of justice lies not only in resolving disputes but also in creating stronger communities, restoring dignity, and ensuring that justice responds to the realities and needs of the people it serves.

“What if success is measured not only by the number of disputes resolved, but also by the number of relationships restored? What if justice is measured not just through efficiency, but also through reconciliation, trust, social cohesion, and human dignity?” Hon. Justice Martha Koome, Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya

As Kenya continues to shape a more inclusive and responsive justice system, Kituo Cha Sheria remains dedicated to advancing people-centred justice by supporting community-driven solutions, strengthening Alternative Justice Systems, and expanding legal empowerment initiatives. Through collaboration with communities, the Judiciary, and other justice sector actors, Kituo continues to champion a justice system where every person can understand, access, and participate in processes that protect their rights and uphold dignity.

By Rony Alal, Communications Officer, Kituo Cha Sheria

The struggle to protect and expand civic space is increasingly becoming a struggle over evidence. As governments, civil society, and communities navigate shrinking civic freedoms, research is no longer simply a tool for documenting challenges; it is an essential foundation for advancing people-centred justice. By generating credible evidence, amplifying lived experiences, and informing public policy, research helps ensure that justice systems respond to people’s realities rather than abstract assumptions.

This perspective shaped discussions during the “Reimagine Research: Powering Civic Practice and Infrastructure” panel at the inaugural Ottawa Civic Space Summit 2026, held from 21 – 23 April 2026 in Ottawa, Canada, where Kituo Cha Sheria Executive Director Dr. Wambua Kituku joined global experts in examining the role of research in protecting and expanding civic space.

Research enables civil society to identify emerging threats, understand how restrictions affect different groups, and develop practical, evidence-based responses. Whether addressing restrictive laws, digital surveillance, or the silencing of civic voices, credible research strengthens advocacy, informs policy reforms, and promotes accountability. In this way, it becomes an essential pillar for safeguarding civic space and strengthening democratic participation.

“Research is most powerful when it begins with people. At Kituo Cha Sheria, we see research as more than generating evidence, it is about understanding the justice needs of communities and using that evidence to shape policy, strengthen advocacy, and build justice systems that are responsive, inclusive, and accountable. When research reflects lived experiences, it becomes a catalyst for protecting civic space and advancing people-centred justice.”  Dr. Wambua Kituku, Executive Director, Kituo Cha Sheria

Research is not simply about generating knowledge, it is about ensuring that the voices, experiences, and justice needs of communities shape the decisions that affect their lives. By producing credible, community-driven evidence, research bridges the gap between people and institutions, ensuring that advocacy is rooted in lived realities and that laws and policies respond to the challenges communities face. In this way, research becomes a catalyst for legal empowerment, equipping people to know the law, use the law, and shape the law. It strengthens civic participation, enables communities to influence reforms that protect rights and expand civic freedoms, and contributes to building more responsive and accountable justice systems.

“Research only becomes meaningful when it empowers people. The evidence we generate must amplify community voices, inform reforms, and strengthen justice systems that are responsive to the people they serve.” Dr. Wambua Kituku, Executive Director, Kituo Cha Sheria

At Kituo Cha Sheria, research is integral to advancing people-centred justice in Kenya and beyond. It informs legal aid, community legal education, strategic litigation, and policy advocacy, ensuring that community experiences drive legal and policy reforms. From labour migration and forced displacement to alternative justice systems, land and housing rights, and access to justice, research provides the evidence that strengthens advocacy, amplifies community voices, and advances legal empowerment by enabling people to know the law, use the law, and shape the law. In doing so, it helps create a more open civic space where justice is informed by the realities and aspirations of the people it serves.

As civic space continues to evolve, the need for research that is collaborative, community-driven, and action-oriented has never been greater. Beyond informing policy and advocacy, such research strengthens public trust, deepens democratic participation, and ensures that justice systems remain responsive to the people they serve. By placing communities at the centre of knowledge production, research becomes a powerful force for protecting civic space and advancing people-centred justice in Kenya and beyond.

By Rony Alal
Communications Officer, Kituo Cha Sheria

The High Court of Kenya has dismissed a petition filed by Kituo Cha Sheria on behalf of survivors and families affected by the August 7, 1998 terrorist bombing of the United States Embassy in Nairobi, ruling that the case lacked sufficient legal merit.

The attack remains one of Kenya’s deadliest terror incidents, killing over 200 people both Kenyans and foreigners and injuring more than 4,000 others. Many survivors sustained life-altering injuries, including blindness, deafness, and severe bone and muscle damage.

The petition, filed in 2021 under case number HCCHRPET/E166/2021, sought compensation from the Government of Kenya. Kituo Cha Sheria moved to court more than two decades after the attack after survivors and affected families, citing lack of legal knowledge and representation at the time, approached the organization for legal assistance.

The matter was heard before Hon. Justice Lawrence Mugambi. Judgment, initially scheduled for November 7, 2025 and later postponed to January 15, 2026, was delivered on January 28, 2026.

In their submissions, the petitioners sought not only compensation but also recognition of their suffering and accountability from the state. They argued that the government failed in its constitutional duty to protect its citizens and that many victims had never received meaningful support despite the immense loss of life, lifelong injuries, and psychological trauma caused by the attack.

In dismissing the petition, the court held that the petitioners failed to demonstrate that the government had prior knowledge or actionable intelligence that could have enabled it to prevent the bombing. Justice Mugambi noted that while the petition relied on several reports, the authors of those documents did not appear in court to testify, rendering the evidence hearsay and legally inadmissible.

“It cannot be established, on the basis of the material placed before this court, that the government was aware of the attack or that it failed to act on any intelligence,” the judge ruled.

The court further observed that there was no evidence showing that the United States government faulted Kenya for failing to prevent the attack. While acknowledging the gravity of the victims’ suffering, the court emphasized that sympathy could not replace the strict legal requirement for credible and admissible evidence. The burden of proof, Justice Mugambi held, lay with the petitioners a threshold the court found had not been met.

As a result, the petition was dismissed, leaving victims and their families with renewed disappointment and unresolved questions more than 25 years after the tragedy.

Kituo Cha Sheria, through its counsel John Mwariri, expressed disappointment with the ruling and indicated that the organization would pursue the matter before a superior court. Reaffirming its commitment to the survivors and affected families, he said:

“We respect the ruling, but we do not agree with it. Our clients have gone through a lot, and some have even passed away this week after a long struggle. We tabled all the evidence before the court, but we are deeply disappointed. We will pursue this matter in the superior courts.”

For survivors and families who lost loved ones, the ruling went beyond a legal determination, reopening wounds that have remained raw for over 25 years. Some survivors told the court of years of living with disabilities, mounting medical expenses, and lost livelihoods, while families of the deceased said their grief had been compounded by what they view as prolonged neglect by the state.

By; Rony Alal

Kenya’s refugee landscape is at a pivotal moment. With over 860,000 refugees and asylum seekers residing in the country, the need to translate progressive legal frameworks into practical, lived realities has never been more urgent. In quest to find a solution, Kituo cha Sheria convened the “Empowering Refugees: Catalyzing Policy Reform for Refugees’ Right to Work in Kenya” two-day workshop in Naivasha, supported by Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Horn of Africa, where stakeholders unpacked new research conducted by Kituo cha Sheria on promoting refugees’ integration and self-reliance, shared evidence from the field, and charted pathways toward meaningful policy reform.

The workshop highlighted a fundamental contradiction: while Kenya has advanced a more inclusive legal environment anchored in Constitutional guarantees and the Refugees Act, refugees continue to face systemic barriers that prevent them from securing dignified work. The research presented unpacked gaps between law and practice, pointing to contradictions within the Immigration Act, restrictive encampment policies, and delays in documentation, inadequate labour protections, and the absence of clear pathways for skills recognition.

These challenges reflect a national crisis in documentation, with over 200,000 refugees awaiting clearance, their applications stalled. This backlog has denied thousands access to employment, education, and health services, leaving entire families in prolonged uncertainty. The human impact was further illustrated during the workshop through a compelling case study from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which highlighted the exhausting and often confusing process refugees must navigate to obtain legal identification, KRA PINs, and business registration; all essential prerequisites for formal employment or entrepreneurship.

Similar experiences were echoed by members of the refugee community. According to Deu Kamuzinzi, a refugee and the advocacy lead at Youth Voices Community, the delays in clearing the piling backlog have locked out refugees from contributing to the economy. Lucy Duku, Chairperson of Refugee Women in Nairobi, also emphasized that even highly educated refugee youth remain excluded from professional opportunities due to documentation gaps, noting,

 “Our children were born in this country and have graduated from universities but cannot get jobs as they do not have the necessary documents like KRA PIN.” Lucy Duku, Chairperson of Refugee Women in Nairobi

Deliberations during the workshop highlighted that meaningful integration requires dismantling legislative and administrative barriers that hinder refugees’ right to work. Kituo cha Sheria Chairperson Justus Munyithya reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to engaging government agencies in reviewing and amending legal and policy frameworks that limit refugees’ access to employment, education, and health services. He emphasized,

“As KITUO, we remain committed to ensuring that legal empowerment and policy reform go hand in hand. Refugees do not just need humanitarian assistance; they need a legal and structural environment that allows them to rebuild their lives with autonomy and confidence.” Mr. Justus Munyithya, Board Chair, Kituo Cha Sheria

According to Dorothy Omboto, lawyer and lead consultant researcher of the launched report, there is a pressing need to abolish work permit requirements for refugees and to recognise refugee IDs as legitimate documentation for employment and business registration, an essential step toward alleviating the systemic frustrations refugees face. She noted that existing laws limit refugee integration and access to decent work due to the cumbersome process of obtaining work permits.

There is a pressing need to align Kenya’s progressive legal commitments with efficient, accessible systems that genuinely uphold refugees’ right to work. Moving forward requires coordinated reforms, institutional efficiency, and a renewed commitment to refugee self-reliance. Unlocking work rights is not just a legal necessity; it is an economic, social, and humanitarian imperative. When refugees are able to work, they support their families, contribute to national development, and strengthen the social fabric of Kenya. Advancing policy reform in a way that is not only enacted but also experienced and felt by refugees is a critical step toward ensuring dignity, opportunity, and meaningful inclusion for all.

By; Rony Alal