In April 2025, the Wayamo Foundation organised a series of events in Kampala, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya for civil society actors, human rights defenders, independent lawyers and journalists.
Between 8–11 April 2025, Wayamo held one-on-one mentorship sessions for Sudanese human rights lawyers and office visits with NGO partners in Kampala. This marked the fourth time such sessions were held in Kampala. The purpose of the sessions was to discuss developments in the documentation of human rights violations, review methodologies, and share best practices to enhance the effectiveness of the ongoing work.
The mentorship sessions were followed by a civil society engagement on Monday, 14 April 2025 in Nairobi where Kenyan civil society actors came together to discuss international criminal justice issues, including pathways for accountability in the region. The meeting built upon the first civil society engagement that convened civil society actors from Sudan, Uganda, South Africa and Kenya in February 2025.
“The entire discussion was quite important and very interesting,” said one participant, who praised Wayamo for organising the discussion. “Discussions around strengthening and coordinating documentation and evidence collection efforts; legal and litigation options for disrupting international crimes occurring in Sudan within the jurisdiction of Kenya; media, including social media, advocacy strategies to form part of the disruption efforts; and, interrogating the Kenyan context and the possibility for disruption options to have the desired effect.”
A participant highlighted the importance of discussing a “holistic strategy to hold perpetrators accountable” while another lauded “the creation of a coalition of partners to jointly support domestic accountability efforts in Kenya for atrocities committed in Sudan, and the identification of a broad range of potential strategies.”
Wayamo also organised a media engagement on Wednesday, 16 April 2025 bringing together Kenyan court reporters with the requisite knowledge and interest in reporting on international criminal justice issues across the continent. During the meeting, the journalists engaged with Supreme Court Judge Isaac Lenaola, who is also the patron of the Association of Court Reporters in Kenya.
In his remarks, Justice Lenaola highlighted the responsibility of court reporters to see possible scenarios regarding legal-political developments in advance, be prepared and then to report credibly and faithfully on the events. He emphasised the importance of the media’s role, not only to inform and educate its audience, but also to serve the victims of human rights violations.
“Reporting on court proceedings and matters of justice is complex and complicated and is a field where journalists can always improve their skills and contacts,” said Judie Kaberia, Wayamo’s East Africa Coordinator and experienced Kenyan journalist. “The media engagement builds on the relationships and themes established during Wayamo’s decade-long relationship with Kenyan journalists and editors, especially those with a keen interest in reporting on justice and criminal proceedings, in Kenya, in the region and abroad.”
All activities were organised within the framework of the “Strengthening justice and accountability for international crimes in Sudan” project, where the Wayamo Foundation provides training in international criminal law, international humanitarian law and human rights to civil society and legal actors both in Sudan and the East African region, aimed at building a coalition committed to addressing impunity through domestic, regional and international accountability mechanisms.
