Kenya neighbours countries where human rights abuses are likely to occur due to perennial attacks in some of the countries/MIKE KARIUKI
Having ratified the Convention Against Torture and other human rights conventions, Kenya like other member states is expected to make reference to other countries especially her neighbours.
Roland Chauville, founder of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) complained that the Kenyan institution which is charged with that responsibility did not make any remarks or ask questions about other countries for about four years.
Addressing Kenyan and Guatemalan journalists in Geneva, he said: “Every country is reviewed by its peers. So as a country you can take the floor and ask questions to other countries and make recommendations. Unfortunately, Kenya has not been active from session one to 13. Kenyan representatives stood on the floor zero times and made zero recommendations. Only in November last year they started taking an active role.”
He explained that the recommendations by countries assist other countries in identifying human rights loopholes and also ideas that can help improve the situation on human rights.
He said Kenya which has been reviewed by other countries many times should take an active role to discuss situations in other countries especially her neighbours.
Kenya neighbours countries where human rights abuses are likely to occur due to perennial attacks in some of the countries.
Chauville says the recommendations by countries are important for the international community to be familiarised with conditions of human rights to ensure involvement in planning that can improve platforms of defending human rights.
“It is important because the international community is looking at human rights situations in all countries. When Kenya was reviewed they received questions and recommendations from countries all over the world. Then Kenya like any other country should be concerned what is happening in its neighbouring countries but also in other countries in Asia and Europe,” he advised.
UPR is a non-governmental organisation based in Geneva that works to promote and strengthen universal periodic review in the UN mechanisms to look at the human rights situation in all countries.
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