Mukuru Community Justice Centre: Fighting injustice, police abuse to empower Kenya’s vulnerable

In July, as the country reeled from the discovery of dismembered body parts at the Mukuru dumpsite, a group of young volunteers captured national attention for their meticulous work in the risky recovery operation, at first without even proper protective gear.

These young men were part of the Mukuru Community Justice Centre (MCJC), a community-based organisation founded in 2017 and formally registered in 2018 to help residents seek justice for crimes committed against them.

While many Kenyans were witnessing the centre’s work for the first time, residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga already knew it as a vital source of hope and justice. For years, they had endured unending injustices — both within the community and at the hands of rogue officers.

Anami Daudi Toure, the MCJC coordinator, explains that most offences in the area often went unreported because locals had grown weary of pursuing justice after repeated frustrations and a lack of assistance from those mandated to help.

He says this frustration inspired the creation of the centre, which calls out injustices, speaks up for the community, and helps residents gradually reclaim their voice in the face of oppression.

Walking with the community

"The living conditions of the people, the injustices they face on an everyday basis, most of which would go unattended to drive us here. We walk with the community through tragedies, assist survivors in their healing and justice-seeking journey and walk with local human rights champions who alone would easily get overwhelmed or retreat after receiving threats," he says.

The centre was also born out of the need to educate locals on their legal rights — from the protections afforded to an arrested person to the trial process and beyond.

Just before the centre began operations, the community experienced one of its most traumatic injustices. In April 2016, eight young men — later known as "The Mukuru Eight" — aged between 17 and 24, were shot at close range from behind and killed by police after attending a garbage collectors’ meeting.

"A village elder called the police and claimed that some young men were conspiring to commit a robbery. What followed was that a killer cop came and shot at them indiscriminately, including the elder's son who was part of the group," explains Daudi.

No justice was ever served. Police later claimed the eight were armed criminals.

Bill of Rights

"Our purpose has been to sensitise the people about the Constitution, mostly the Bill of Rights, Article 10 of the Constitution which speaks to human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination and protection of the marginalised reminding them their right to live in dignity, access health, water and social justice. We've done this through protests, petitions and documenting cases," he adds.

The centre’s cases range from sexual and gender-based violence — including rape, defilement and sodomy — to police abuse of power. Some youths are arrested on fictitious charges, assaulted in custody, or unlawfully detained until they pay for their release. The centre has also documented labour disputes, police shootings, and killings.

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• Headlines
• City Affairs
• IPOA
• Mukuru kwa Njenga
• Mukuru Community Justice Centre
• Bill of Rights
• The Mukuru Eight
• MCJC
• Mukuru dumpsite
• Mukuru SGBV
• Anami Daudi Toure
• Mukuru Community Justice Centre: Fighting injustice
• police abuse to empower Kenya’s vulnerable

One long-pending case involves a 15-year-old Form Four student who regularly attends clinics because of a bullet lodged in his body after being shot by police in Form One. IPOA investigated, but justice is yet to be served, and the officer remains free.

Another case concerns a bodaboda rider who still carries a bullet in his leg after being shot by police two years ago. IPOA is also handling that matter.

Located in the heart of the Industrial Area, the centre receives numerous labour-related complaints, from unfair dismissals and lack of compensation for work-related injuries to land disputes, forced evictions, and other grievances.

"We've seen the community embrace the centre and give it much support to an extent of becoming their biggest advocates," says Daudi.

Personal risk

The work, however, comes with great personal risk. Daudi and his 23 fellow volunteers face constant threats from perpetrators of violence, including rogue officers who trail their movements. Still, they persist.

"This fight for me is personal because I was born and raised here in Mukuru. I have faced everything growing up, from the post-election violence after the 2007 elections, leaders who promised change, I knew that things were going to change, but unfortunately, they have worsened. The reality I went through and that of a current seven-year-old child in Mukuru are just the same; sleeping on an empty stomach, lack of school fees, poverty, so you go and scavenge as others sell peanuts," he says.

One notable victory came when the centre learned that Mukuru Kwa Njenga was served by just one public primary school, unable to meet demand. They pushed to reclaim public land that had been grabbed and turned into a private school.

"We protested, went to the school and converted it to a public school. On that day, we recovered the school, we announced those who were trained as teachers to come and enrol as teachers, and those who needed their children admitted to show up; that day alone, we received at least 10,000 children. That shows the power of the justice centre in a community," he says of the school, which now accommodates 4,000 pupils.

Resources needed

Daudi says the centre urgently needs resources to improve operations — including a safe house for SGBV survivors under threat, a permanent counsellor, and funds for paperwork, hospital visits, police station follow-ups, and related costs.

"At times, the call comes from the families of those violated asking us if we can assist with transporting their kin to the hospital, at such moments we call for support from well-established organisations which also, at times, will be lacking funds," Daudi says.

They also need support for volunteers’ transport allowances and meals during their daily work.

"We are not enemies of the state, what we want is justice and accountability, but they (authorities) do not want anyone speaking truth to power, asking questions and trying to sensitise people about their rights. That's the biggest challenge for us," he adds.

The centre operates under a strict code of conduct and an internal constitution to maintain integrity and model the leadership they hope to see in the country.