On February 20 Haki Africa and the world marked the UN World Day of Social Justice. The day is dedicated to recognising that social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations.
In many countries, celebrations were held to promote and protect social justice and urge governments as well as citizens to play their rightful role in inculcating a culture of equality, ending poverty, exclusion and unemployment. The day was mostly dedicated to promoting fundamental rights and freedoms of the poor and marginalised. This year’s theme was ‘If you want peace and development, work for social justice.’
Ironically, the day was celebrated as the country was also preparing for the burial of Kenya’s social justice campaigner Caroline Mwatha. CarolMtetezi, as she is now known, was a founding member and senior officer of the Dandora Community Social Justice Centre. She met her untimely death in what so far remains unclear circumstances.
CarolMtetezi was documenting extrajudicial killings of youth in and around Dandora when she disappeared early this month and was later found dead at City Mortuary. Her disappearance and subsequent death caused an uproar, and activists took to the streets and clashed with the police. CarolMtetezi will be buried this weekend.
In Nairobi, there are at least 11 different social justice centres. Besides the one in Dandora, others are in Mathare, Kibera, Mukuru, Kayole, Huruma, Kiambio and Korogocho. These centres are working at the grassroots to promote social justice and human rights. They work in dangerous circumstances and the lives of their workers remain always at risk.
There are many CarolMtetezis out there who continue to soldier on for justice in risky areas. Kenyans need to know there are such people who sacrifice their safety and security every day to promote and protect social justice, human rights and rule of law.
With security provision being directly a constitutional human rights responsibility of the state, whenever a violation occurs, the police cannot be exonerated as they are the primary security providers. Even though citizens have a duty to promote security, it is the police who are paid using taxpayers’ money to enforce security.
Police must guarantee the security of all social justice actors and human rights defenders. It is the responsibility of the state to determine whether CarolMtetezi met her death in the process of procuring an abortion or through a police officer who murdered her but wanted to make it look like it was a botched abortion. It is also the responsibility of the state to bring the culprits to book.
Social justice has always been sidelined as the rich and middle class consider this as not being a priority. Social justice is usually much-needed by the poor, vulnerable and weak in society. Although a good percentage of our population live in abject poverty, state policies have often ignored this group and instead worked to satisfy mostly the rich and middle class.
If we are to move forward as a nation, we must change our policies to incorporate social justice. Our policies should replace extrajudicial killings with jobs for youth and human rights violations with food on the table for every home in the slums.
During this week as we mark the World Day of Social Justice, Haki Africa is demanding the formal recognition of social justice centres and their work. Many grassroots campaigners have met their death in the quest for social justice. Society is not judged by how it treats its rich, powerful and the politically correct, but by how it treats its poor, vulnerable and weak.
Equality can best be realised through social justice. We must safeguard more the rights and freedoms of the poor, vulnerable and marginalised by ensuring those fighting for their rights are equally protected. We must demand the government not only supporta human rights but also social justice activism. The time for justice is now. Human rights campaigners must not and will not relent in the quest for social justice.