Economic and Social Justice
Goal: To promote the realization of social and economic rights for marginalized communities by advocating for equitable access to basic services, social protections, and economic justice.
In Kenya, economic and social justice are constitutionally guaranteed under Article 43 of the 2010 Constitution. These rights encompass the right to the highest attainable standard of health, accessible and adequate housing, and reasonable sanitation, freedom from hunger, clean and safe water, social security, and education19. These rights are crucial for ensuring human dignity and promoting social justice, particularly for vulnerable populations. Despite a progressive legal framework, Kenya still faces significant challenges in ensuring access to social and economic rights for all citizens. These challenges include poverty, inequality, corruption, and inadequate access to essential services like healthcare and education. Furthermore, issues like ethnic divisions, political instability, and the impact of climate change exacerbate these problems, hindering the full realization of these rights. For example, many Kenyans are unable to afford the high cost of legal services.
KITUO supports interventions aimed at promoting access to social and economic rights for marginalized communities. This is achieved through lobbying, sensitization and establishing working partnerships with duty bearers to ensure that they avail these services to vulnerable groups. KITUO also identifies pathways of supporting marginalized communities to access training, personal development and dignified livelihood opportunities. KITUO also engages in the politicization of access to public goods through engaging in policy reforms, high level convenings and research.
