AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE UNIO AFRICANA

AFRICAN COURT ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES RIGHTS COUR AFRICAINE DES DROITS DE LHOMME ET DES PEUPLES P.O Box 6274 Arusha, Tanzania Telephone: +255 732 979 551 Fax. +255 732 979 503 Web site www.african-court.org Email. registrar@african-court.org

PRESS RELEASE

No 30/JUN/2013

The African Court on Human and Peoples Rights Organizes a Sensitization Mission to the Republic of Kenya The African Court on Human and Peoples Rights will be undertaking a sensitization mission to the Republic of Kenya from 15 to 17 July 2013. The objective of the mission is to enhance human rights protection in Kenya through raising awareness on the Court, its functions, its jurisdiction and procedure before it, and to hold discussions with various Government officials in Kenya, with a view to encouraging the Government to make the declaration allowing individuals and NGOs direct access to the Court.

In this regard, the President of the Court, Hon. Lady Justice Sophia A-B Akuffo, accompanied by other members of the Court and some staff members of the Registry, will pay courtesy calls on high ranking Government officials in Kenya, including the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ambassador Amina Mohammed, the Attorney General, Hon. Prof. Githu Muigai, the Chief
For Media inquiries, contact Jean-Pierre Uwanone N., Head of the Information & Communication Unit Tel: +255755763450 or send Email to: jean-pierre@african-court.org Page 1

Justice and President of the Supreme Court, His Lordship Prof. Willy M. Mutunga, , the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Justin Muturi, the Speaker of the Senate, Hon. Ekwe Ethuro, and the Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

The sensitization mission to Kenya will also seek to sensitize the public and potential litigants on how to utilize the Court in settling human rights disputes and sensitize would-be litigants on how to access the Court. It is with that in view that the Court will organize, in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Kenya and the Law Society of Kenya, a public lecture at the Kenya School of Law, on 16 July, starting at 4:00 PM and a half-day sensitization seminar for Kenyan civil society organizations, including relevant constitutional and statutory commissions, representatives of religious institutions, the academia, the media, etc., on 17 July 2013, from 9:00 to 12:00 AM, at the Intercontinental Hotel, in Nairobi.

The opening ceremony of the seminar is expected to be graced by the presence of high ranking Government officials, the President of the Court and other Judges of the Court, and representatives of foreign missions and international organizations accredited to Kenya.

The Seminar comes after a series of sensitization activities organized by the Court since 2011 with a view to raising awareness on the Court among human rights organizations and other stakeholders. The Republic of Kenya will be the seventeenth (17th) country to be visited by the Court within the framework of sensitization activities. Other countries where the Court has already conducted sensitization activities include Tanzania, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, Gabon, South Africa, Nigeria, Burundi, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mauritius, Algeria, Cameroon and Cte dIvoire . Similar visits are planned to be conducted in other countries on the continent.

For further information, please visit the website of the Court on www.african-court.org or contact:

Jean-Pierre Uwanone Ntawizeruwanone Senior Information & Communication Officer African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
For Media inquiries, contact Jean-Pierre Uwanone N., Head of the Information & Communication Unit Tel: +255755763450 or send Email to: jean-pierre@african-court.org Page 2

P.O.Box: 6274 Arusha TANZANIA E-mail: jean.pierre@african-court.org Tel: +255755763450 Or the Focal Point: Grace Kakai Wakio Legal Officer African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights P.O.Box: 6274 Arusha TANZANIA E-mail: grace.wakio@african-court.org Tel: +254713300078 +255783057533

For Media inquiries, contact Jean-Pierre Uwanone N., Head of the Information & Communication Unit Tel: +255755763450 or send Email to: jean-pierre@african-court.org Page 3