STATEMENT
Kisumu County, 19 April 2024: The Amnesty International family salute the courage of human rights defenders in Kisumu County. We are thrilled to be able to support the re-opening of the Nyando Social Justice Centre this morning.
The last time we stood here, the air smelled of burnt ash, the Centre was destroyed and there was hopelessness in the eyes of the human rights defenders. That August visit ended with a collective promise by the Nyando Social Justice Centre and Amnesty International to rebuild a bigger, more permanent resource for the men, women, and children of Nyando.
Two months short of the first anniversary of the burning down of the Centre and ten years of protecting Kenyans from gender-based violence and other human rights violations, the Centre has been upgraded and will soon be fully open and back to operational capacity.
Allow us to read a short message from Amnesty International UK Executive Director Sacha Desmukh who visited the Centre in October last year.
when we visited your centre back in October 2023, we left humbled by your power and resilience in the face of adversity. You and your comrades moved us immensely! The determination to build back your centre is clear to us even now.
The phoenix bird is often associated with immortality. It is a bird that rises from the ashes, a bird that cyclically regenerates and births again and again. It is a bird of wisdom, that evolves and refuses to be eliminated. And so, it is with this centre. May you rise this time even stronger more defiant and braver than before.
So today from AIUK we stand together with you, and we celebrate this day with you. Arise and take your special place in this global movement of over 10 million people who celebrate with you today in one triumphant voice.
Amnesty International UK Executive Director Sacha Desmukh
We thank our sister Section and their members, and our own members for the significant contribution they have made to the costs of rebuilding the Centre. On behalf of the Amnesty family, we salute all the human rights defenders under the leadership of Caren Kiarie for your faith and commitment that a decade of work would not be destroyed by a few hours of lawlessness.
Long live the resilience of human rights defenders in Kisumu, Kenya and the UK, long live!
Irungu Houghton
Amnesty International Executive Director
For more information and interviews, contact Mathias T. Kinyoda on Mobile: +254723424802 | Email: [email protected]