Freedom of Information, Protection & Promotion of Human Rights/Liberte de L'information, Protection & Promotion des Droits Humains

Freedom of information is the citizen's right to know and access official information held by the government, public bodies and some private bodies. The right to freedom of expression and information are legally protected at the international, regional and national levels. Kenya is a signatory to international conventions that seek to protect and uphold freedom of expression. Such international instruments include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights. The Constitution of Kenya protects the right in Section 79. Access to information will go a long way in protection of women's rights which have often been infringed mainly due to lack of information that is why we seek enactment of the Freedom of Information Law in Kenya in 2008. The FOI Bill 2007 was before Parliament but it lapsed when Parliament was dissolved for elections and has to be re-introduced. The Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga promised on July 8th 2008 that the Government will introduce the Bill before the House. Similar promises have been made by the Ministry of Information and Communications. It would be good if the Women of Kenya who constitute 52% of the population join in advocacy for this important legislation. This article seeks to highlight the various violations against women rights prevalent in society due to a general lack of information.