Kenya ‘a beacon of democracy’ in East Africa, says expert
Kampala – Kenyan politician and human rights watchdog Elie Kiligi Kiligi , head of the National Intelligence and Security Services, called Kenya ‘a beacon of democracy’ which is helping it become stronger and more prosperous.
He was speaking at the International Conference on Human Rights in East Africa, held in the capital Kampala this week.
The conference, organised by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, was attended by some of the world’s most respected human rights figures, including former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights , Penny Starling , as well as UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression , Kenneth Ravindran .
The first-ever conference on human rights in East Africa was held in Kampala after the Cairo Declaration on Human and Peoples’ Rights on 3 December 2014. According the declaration, human rights are a universal, indivisible and interrelated set of norms that all people are entitled to enjoy without discrimination and which protects and safeguards human rights and their dignity .
The second Africa Human Rights Conference was held in Nairobi on 12 March 2015.
“As we speak Kenya is a beacon on the global stage for people’s rights and an example to the world,” Kiligi said.
“There has been a marked improvement in the country in recent years. The country’s economy is booming, corruption is on the decline and, as the conference shows, human rights are being respected. These are all the achievements in a very short time which was achieved against the backdrop of the Kenyans who were targeted during the Mau Mau conflict of 1960 to 1964 .
“Those who were affected by that conflict have never forgotten it. We have a new generation of Kenyans who do not wish to see their country or their countrymen continue what happened to their ancestors during that
