Civic Law

Dr. Morris Kiwinda Mbondenyi: LLD, LLM (UNISA); LLB (Moi University). The author is a Senior Lecturer in Law and the Chair of the Africa Nazarene University Law Department, Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Mbondenyi is also a consultant in human rights and international law.

International human rights law currently registers a tremendous positive impact on the legal systems throughout the world, although this was hardly the situation decades ago. As correctly observed by some scholars, this branch of law appeared to enjoy low esteem during the 1970s, particularly in Africa. The passiveness to international protection of human rights in Africa during this period can be attributed to the emphasis given to the doctrine of sovereignty of states. This doctrine in a way created focus on the consolidation of political power rather than the protection and promotion of human rights. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, global events necessitated a fundamental change in the perception of human rights and their protection. In Africa, these events influenced the emergence and evolution of a regional human rights system. This book therefore deliberately underscores the enforcement of international human rights law in Africa and the prospects and promises of an effective regional human rights system. The book is yet another attempt to conduct a comprehensive study on the African human rights system, not only with regard to its institutional mechanisms, but also the challenges encountered in the course of enforcing its substantive human rights norms.