Pro Bono News: Kenyan prisoners free themselves from death row with legal training

In Kenya, only people facing capital charges, such as murder, receive legal aid from the state. Some 70 percent of accused people have no legal representation in court. This violates the right to a fair trial as they are not aware of the procedure and substance of the law and can't represent themselves adequately.

In 2007, the non-governmental organisation Kituo cha Sheria (The Centre for Legal Empowerment) started a paralegal programme in Shimo la Tewa Prison in Mombasa. A paralegal is someone with basic legal training, but without a license to practice law. It trained over 100 prisoners to represent themselves in court and to coach their fellow inmates to do the same. To date, 650 convicts and inmates on remand (those in custody awaiting trial) have won their freedom this way.

Kituo plans to expand the programme to other prisons across the country.

Images and Audio by Katy Migiro
Produced by Natasha Elkington
Copyright TrustLaw

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• Kenya
• prison
• law
• legal
• ngo
• freedom
• africa