RULE OF LAW & ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE
Building inclusive, accountable legal systems that work for the people. We train paralegals, operate grassroots legal aid centers, and engage courts, police, and prosecutors to protect the rights of the most excluded.
Justice Systems & Legal Institutions Reform
Transforming criminal justice systems to protect not punish marginalized populations.
We work with courts, prosecutors, police, and administrative tribunals to promote fair, transparent, and rights-based legal processes for people historically excluded or criminalized.
Key Components:
- Training duty bearers (judges, magistrates, prosecutors, police) on harm reduction, diversion, and non-custodial sentencing
- Supporting public interest litigation to expand constitutional protections and test progressive interpretations of health rights
- Promoting prosecutorial discretion frameworks that reduce unnecessary charges for non-violent, drug-related offenses
- Advocating for an end to arbitrary arrests and informal detentions targeting vulnerable groups
Impact Goal:
To embed rights, equity, and public health into the architecture of Kenya’s legal and judicial systems.
Civic Power & Democratic Engagement
Building grassroots civic power to hold leaders accountable and defend constitutional democracy.
CPDE strengthens democratic culture at the community level by equipping citizens with the knowledge and platforms to influence governance and protect their rights.
Key Components:
- Civic education campaigns on the Constitution (esp. Article 43) and devolved governance
- Facilitating citizen organizing to monitor development projects, raise red flags, and challenge corruption
- Promoting inclusive civic spaces for women, youth, people who use drugs, and other marginalized groups
- Hosting public forums and assemblies to ensure citizen input in policy decisions and accountability mechanisms
Impact Goal:
To reclaim democratic space, promote civic inclusion, and empower communities to shape public policy and demand accountability from all levels of government.
Security & Rights
SAFETY without JUSTICE is not PEACE | JUSTICE without DIGNITY is not SECURITY.
At KUZA TRUST, we believe security is a right, not a privilege and those most affected by violence, neglect, and state abuse must lead the transformation of public safety systems.
Our Security & Rights Program builds bold, community-led alternatives to Kenya’s top-down, punitive security architecture. We advance a vision of people-centered public safety where security is co-designed by communities, grounded in dignity, and delivered through trust, not force.
We are catalyzing a national movement to develop Kenya’s first National Community Safety Law (NCSL) and County Community Safety Bylaws (CCSL), rooted in two core principles:
- People-Led Safety: Women, youth, People who use drugs and informal settlement residents lead the diagnosis, design, and oversight of safety systems.
- Evidence-Driven Reform: Community data, not political pressure, guides safety planning and resource allocation.
What We Do
1. Community Safety Assemblies & Scenario Planning
Inclusive public forums at ward and county level where communities map risks, build practical response scenarios, and co-create safety pacts with local authorities and reform-minded security actors.
2. Early Warning & Rapid Response Systems
Grassroots alert networks that detect and respond to violence before it escalates through neighborhood watch teams, community escalation protocols, and real-time reporting platforms.
3. Militia Exit & Peace & Civic Leadership Incubator
Rehabilitating former gang leaders and youth from criminalized settings into trained community peace ambassadors who lead violence interruption, mentoring, and civic reintegration.
4. Rights & Justice Accountability Mechanism
Community-driven systems to report police abuse, gang threats, or political violence linked directly to legal action, oversight bodies, and strategic litigation pathways.
5. Legal & Policy Reform for Community-Led Safety
Technical and civic support to draft and advance Kenya’s first National Community Safety Law and County Safety Bylaws that guarantee public participation, gender equity, and locally accountable safety.