Kenya

CENTER FOR LEGAL SUPPORT AND INMATE REHABILITATION (CELSIR)

The Center for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation (CELSIR) is a non-profit social enterprise registered in Kenya as a Company Limited by Guarantee. We provide free legal aid and social support to indigent persons, especially those in conflict with the law, with a focus on access to justice, prison reform, and human rights advocacy.

CELSIR actively engages in strategic litigation, including death penalty cases, and supports resentencing applications following Kenya’s Muruatetu decision. We also offer legal empowerment programs, policy advocacy, and reintegration support for formerly incarcerated individuals to reduce recidivism and promote safer communities.

Since 2021, CELSIR has consistently observed the World Day Against the Death Penalty through public awareness campaigns, legal forums, community dialogues, and media outreach to amplify voices against capital punishment.

In December 2023, CELSIRE conducted a Capital Defenders Training for legal practitioners, equipping them with the skills and strategies necessary to effectively defend individuals facing the death penalty. We have also participated in panel discussions on the effects of the death penalty on women, highlighting its gendered impact and advocating for gender-sensitive approaches to justice reform.

In 2024, we partnered with the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide to file an amicus curiae petition before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, urging the Court to declare the death penalty a violation of human rights under the African Charter.

Our work is rooted in human dignity, constitutionalism, and sustainable legal reform. Through partnerships, research, and grassroots legal support, CELSIR contributes to the growing movement toward the abolition of the death penalty in Africa.

Date founded

2021

Structure type

NGO