NAIROBI — The High Court opened its doors this Monday for a critical three-day summit, bringing together the guardians of the law and the defenders of the public in a bid to salvage Kenya’s deteriorating human rights landscape.

This gathering is not merely ceremonial. It arrives at a fracture point in the nation’s history, where the Judiciary is under mounting pressure to prove it remains a shield for the common citizen against state excess, arbitrary evictions, and a rising tide of unexplained disappearances.

Confronting a Grim Reality

Building on the inaugural 2024 forum, this year’s summit seeks to move beyond rhetoric. While the 2010 Constitution is often hailed as progressive, its implementation has frequently stalled at the hands of impunity. During the previous session, the Judiciary frankly acknowledged that despite numerous legal victories, the ground reality remains perilous for many Kenyans.

According to the official “Info Note — Human Rights Summit 2025,” the agenda is dominated by systemic failures that directly threaten public safety. Key areas of focus include:

• Extrajudicial Killings & Abductions: Addressing the surge in state-linked disappearances that have terrified communities.
• Right to Assembly: Clarifying the boundaries of protest in an era of violent crackdowns.
• Socioeconomic Rights: Protecting vulnerable groups from arbitrary evictions and ensuring due process is not a privilege of the wealthy.
• Gender-Based Violence: Strengthening the legal framework to protect victims of domestic and systemic abuse.

Bridging the Justice Gap

Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu has emphasized that the courts cannot operate in a vacuum. She noted that ongoing dialogue between judges, civil society, and state agencies is the only way to ensure that rulings made in Nairobi courtrooms actually change lives in informal settlements and rural villages.

“The summit aims to build on the momentum of the first summit and deepen stakeholder collaboration,” organizers stated. This year, the tent has been widened to include political parties, independent candidates, and election observers, signaling a holistic approach to rights that encompasses both personal safety and political participation.

For the average Kenyan, the success of this summit will not be measured in communiqués, but in whether the courts can successfully compel the executive to respect the Bill of Rights. As the sessions unfold, the focus remains on strengthening institutional accountability to ensure that justice is not just written, but felt.