News from Nairobi
My internship with the International Commission of Jurists in Kenya (ICJ-Kenya) continues to clip along at a fast pace. The placement has me working with the Human Rights Protection Programme, one of the four main areas of focus (the others being Democratisation, Access to Justice and International Cooperation). ICJ-Kenya is a wonderful organisation doing a variety of fascinating work both in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa generally. Before arriving I found it hard to imagine what someone with just one year at law school could possibly contribute to a completely alien judicial system (getting coffee perhaps?). The support at ICJ is exceptional with a full team of lawyers at hand to answer any questions that come up. The team embraces new ideas so any input, however meager, is heartily welcomed.
Myself with Chief Justice of the Kenyan Supreme Court Court Wily Mutunga and Justice Albie Sachs of SA
My daily work has focused primarily on constitutional issues, training of ICJ's paralegals and security sector reforms. The 2010 Constitution brought a lot of change, much of which is still being debated in the courts and in the public sphere. I have been fortunate to attend a number of constitutional conferences working with local judiciary and academics. The conferences provide a forum for deliberation on issues facing Kenya's development and thankfully, up to this point, nobody has noticed that I don't belong! Politics dominate the front pages of every major newspaper and everyone you meet has an opinion on the latest political developments. This is why 47 new counties were created overnight with the new Constitution. The idea is to bring democratic institutions closer to the public so that their views can be heard. Only time will tell whether this endeavour will be successful.
Lewa Marathon
In June I made a trip with my colleagues to Mombasa (a beautiful coastal town) to help train 30 of ICJ's paralegals. As you can see from the photo of our hotel rooms, it was a tough few days away from the office. The training went exceptionally well and the paralegals returned to their local offices to train the remaining four hundred paralegals that form ICJ's legal access network. Their stories of providing free legal advice are uplifting in so many ways, handling issues as various as spousal disputes to full criminal trials!
Tough day at the office (paralegal training in Mombasa)
Thankfully I've been able to enjoy a few soccer tournaments with the ICJ staff, playing in both the Uwazi Cup and Justice Cup, and even ran the Lewa half-marathon in late June. The run takes place in a game park with rangers scaring off wildlife in several helicopters and planes along the route. My time was terrible although it was worth it to bring my camera along and take photos of the scenery throughout!
ICJ soccer team competing in Justice Cup
Finally, I have written a few articles which have been published on the ICJ-Kenya website (see links below). I am grateful to ICJ for their indulgence of my academic pursuits. In my spare time I have been working with local lawyers, academics and judiciary to write a casebook on Kenyan constitutional law. I hope to have the casebook completed by mid to late 2015. Hopefully this means I will be 'forced' to fly back for a book launch.
Myself with some ICJ colleagues out on a camping trip
The experiences here continue to impress. I'm looking forward to August as I will head to Uganda and Rwanda with an old friend from WarChild International before flying home at the end of the month. Nairobi is a big, noisy, dirty, exciting, beautiful and all things considered, relatively safe city. Don't believe some of the Western headlines; the smallest tragedy sells more newspapers than the greatest of triumphs. The only thing I miss from home? The people. The only thing I'll miss from Kenya? The people, thanks to ICJ.
Hangin with baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Craig Mracek
UofS Law
Link to articles:
http://www.icj-kenya.org/index.php/media-centre/commentary/612-death-of-devolution
http://www.icj-kenya.org/index.php/media-centre/commentary/603-monitoring-and-evaluation-is-critical-in-police-reforms
http://icj-kenya.org/index.php/media-centre/news/602-craig-mracek