Kenya: President signs new anti-torture law

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s president Thursday signed a new anti-torture law that guarantees Kenyans freedom from torture, cruelty, and punishment.

According to a statement from the State House, the office of President Uhuru Kenyatta, “The new law outlines the principles of the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.”

In a report last year on torture and extrajudicial killings, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) documented multiple human rights violations and breaches of the law committed by security agencies against innocent civilians, particular members of Kenya’s Muslim Somali community.

The report documented over 120 cases of egregious human rights violations in the East African country, including 25 extrajudicial killings and 81 enforced disappearances.

In the Thursday statement, the Presidency said, “The new law also empowers the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to investigate alleged violations under the Act.”

The act empowers the commission to monitor state compliance with international treaty obligations relating to torture and inhumane treatment.