Building civil society organisations’ capacity to advocate for Right to Information

  • Amount funded: £90,000
  • Year: 2016
  • Duration: 36 months
  • Locations: Kenya
  • Grant stream: Open grants call
Issue

Right to information is a key tool for guaranteeing a number of human rights, particularly economic and social rights.

Project partners
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Katiba Institute
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How we are helping

Supporting a project to raise awareness of right to information, emphasise the value of accessing information held by public authorities and support Kenyan government officials in developing an RTI implementation plan.

About the project

Right to information (RTI) is a key tool for guaranteeing a number of human rights, particularly economic and social rights. Building the Kenyan government’s capacity to share information, and improving civil society’s understanding of and ability to use the Access To Information (ATI) Act in the public interest is recognised as a necessity.

Kenya’s Katiba Institute (KI) and India’s Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) will support civil society and government in the implementation of the ATI Act in Kenya.

The project is working with civil society organisations to raise awareness of right to information, emphasising the value of accessing information held by public authorities. It is also supporting Kenyan government officials in developing an RTI implementation plan.

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative is facilitating an exchange between Indian civil society, government representatives and their Kenyan counterparts. This exercise in South-to South collaboration will utilise India’s experience, in implementing a similar law since 2005.

Endorsed project title: Building civil society organisations’ capacity to advocate for Right to Information. Photo: Flickr CC dilettantiquity.

Project Partners
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, India works to promote the practical realisation of human rights in Commonwealth countries focuses on building and reforming systems of governance, essential for the protection and promotion of human rights. CHRI played the lead role in successfully advocating for the adoption of RTI laws in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Cayman Islands, Guyana, the Maldives, Malta, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Katiba Institute

Katiba Institute (KI), Kenya, established in 2011, is a constitutional research, policy and litigation institute focused on the implementation of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution and the development of a culture of constitutionalism in Kenya. KI has experience of working with CHRI to advocate for the adoption of a strong right to information law in Kenya.

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Governance Areas
Policy accountability
Themes
Human rights