Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari conducted a mission to Kenya from February 08 to 22, 2004 and acknowledged the efforts and the political will of the then newly elected government. However, the challenges to address the housing and land situation were enormous.
With a legacy of corruption and mismanagement of State and local resources, the government had to tackle the growth of slums, including the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of access to essential services, such as potable water, electricity and sanitation, and the high number of people living with HIV.
Two years after the election of the new coalition government, Kenya was still in social-political transition. The new government firmly expressed its commitment to human rights and its intention to correct past errors. However, the Rapporteur was concerned with the lack of due attention to certain problems, such as discrimination against women, the persistence of land cartels and the practice of forced evictions.
The Rapporteur recommended policies to implement human rights, development of housing programs, and the approval of laws to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population, such as the women, the poor and people living with HIV.
The Rapporteur was impressed with the dedication of Kenya´s civil society and with the increasing and effective interaction between the public authorities and other stakeholders, such as the civil society, regarding housing and land rights.
Report (choose language within the ‘Documents’ column)
To read the report, click below.
Latest news on Kenya
- Slum fire leaves 200 homeless
- UN human rights experts urge Kenya to repeal discriminatory sections in Matrimonial Property Act
- UN rights expert calls for the protection of indigenous people facing eviction in Embobut Forest, Kenya
- UN expert urges Kenya to protect rights of indigenous people facing eviction
- Sengwer tribe faces eviction in the name of conservation