Civil Society call on the Commonwealth to work collectively to end exclusion, tackle injustice and commit to accountability

‘Not only am I honored to have participated in the 18thCommonwealth Peoples Forum (CPF) but am proud to 
have contributed to the strong call of action that spells out 13 critical interventions that Commonwealth 
Heads of State have to take including accelerating legislative reform that respects human rights and 
access to mental health care’.
L-R: Felogene Anumo (AWID), Lady Justice B. Hale (Supreme Court, UK) and Allan Maleche (KELIN).

This was the reflection of our Executive Director, Mr Allan Maleche, at the end of the three day forum held on 16 – 18 April, in London. The forum whose theme was Inclusive governance; the challenge for a contemporary Commonwealth brought together over 350 delegates from 53 Commonwealth countries.

For the first time, the forum utilised creative expression to communicate key messages based on the theme of the conference. Panel discussions, in depth- conversations and case studies were also utilized at the forum. During the session on separation of powers, which had the Lady Justice Hale, first female President of the United Kingdom Supreme Court as a panelist, the following was concluded:

  1. Separation of power principle can be enhanced by ensuring parliament and the judiciary are financially and administratively independent;
  2. Need for the executive, legislature and judiciary to continue promoting and rolling out the use of the Commonwealth (latimer) house principles on the three levels of government;
  3. Need to support judicial officers with emphasis to those that serve in the lower courts, who may be more vulnerable to threats against independence; and
  4. There is continued need to uphold and protect the freedom of expression particularly for the media.

KELIN plans to contribute to the finalisation of the call to action by the People’s Forum and ensure that it is shared with civic voices in Kenya and across the globe to follow up on the recommendations at the country level with our leaders.

To contribute to the discussion and for live updates follow KELIN on our social media platforms using the hashtag #CWpeople Twitter: @KELINkenya Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya

For more information contact:
Allan Maleche

Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN)
4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road
PO Box 112-00200, KNH
Email: amaleche@kelinkenya.org
Mobile No: +254 708389870