Kituo Cha Sheria, with support from the Grassroots Justice Network, joined a distinguished delegation of justice actors at the African Regional Forum on People-Centered Justice, held alongside the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, The Gambia.
The delegation brought together leading organisations, including ISA WALI Empowerment Initiative, Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation, LRC-Ghana, African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice, Natural Justice, and Muleide, in a shared effort to advance people-centred justice across the continent.
The forum served as a vital platform for strengthening collaboration and showcasing collective progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 16+, with particular emphasis on building peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Special recognition was given to the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies for their leadership and coordination in advancing the global people-centred justice movement.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Grassroots Justice Network delegation, including Kituo Cha Sheria and the African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice, held a strategic engagement with Commissioner Dr. Litha Musyimi-Ogana. The discussions reaffirmed a shared commitment to legal empowerment and the promotion of Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) as a practical and community-driven pathway to justice delivery across Africa.
Drawing lessons from the slow implementation of Kenya’s National Legal Aid Act, the delegation urged African states to accelerate legal empowerment reforms and invest in AJS as inclusive mechanisms that expand access to justice for all, particularly marginalised communities.
The delegation also expressed optimism that the ACHPR will adopt a resolution advancing legal empowerment and Alternative Justice Systems, in a bid to safeguard and promote Africa’s indigenous knowledge systems and strengthen people-centred justice approaches across the continent.