_{The IBA/ILAC delegation meeting with
Chief Justice Gicheru and members of the judiciary}

Delegation from ILAC and IBA visits Kenya

A joint delegation from ILAC and the International Bar Association visited Kenya 4-11 October, in order to look into what our consortium can do to assist the Kenya judicial system in general, and in particular how to deal with the legal consequences of the post-election violence in the beginning of 2009. These violent clashes between the different political factions claimed more that a thousand lives,  and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes and villages.

The visit was carried out at the invitation of the Law Society of Kenya, which also assisted the delegation in arranging meetings and providing  invaluable logistical support throughout the visit.
The delegation consisted of  the Chief Justice of Ghana, her Ladyship Georgina Wood, former High Court Justice of Tanzania, Lawrence Mchome,  ILAC Executive Director Christian Åhlund,  IBA Legal Officer Stephanie Case,  Rithika Moore, representing the Bar Council of Ireland and, as rapporteur, the UK barrister Paul Richmond. The delegation packed more than thirty meetings into a hectic five-day schedule, and had productive discussions with  the Vice President,  the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice,  the Attorney General and the ministers of justice and land, as well as with  judges, magistrates, prosecutors and lawyers. The delegation also met with the representatives of the international community and civil society.

There is a general agreement that  Kenya´s  judicial system suffers from a wide range of problems, such as serious shortages of both human and material resources, corruption  and, as a consequence, a wide-spread lack of confidence from the general public, and that these genera weaknesses were highlighted in the aftermath of the post-election violence. The delegation is now working on a report, which we hope will be released before the end of 2009. As with other ILAC reports,  this report will propose concrete projects in order to improve the situation of the judicial system, with the intention that these projects will be adopted for implementation by ILACs member organisations.