Petty offences that criminalise poverty-related and survival activities remain embedded in Kenya’s legal framework despite constitutional guarantees on equality, dignity and socio-economic rights, findings highlighted by a new assessment done ahead of the launch of a new Petty Offences Scorecard show.

The scorecard, an initiative by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), was launched on Friday to monitor African countries’ implementation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Principles on the Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa as part of the ongoing campaign to decriminalise Poverty and Status.

The digital platform aims to measure progress in reforming laws that disproportionately criminalise poverty and survival-related activities such as begging, loitering, street hawking and sleeping in public spaces.

Read full article: New report faults Kenya’s laws for criminalising begging, hawking and loitering