Kituo Cha Sheria on Its Knees as Acting ED, John Mwariri, Embarks on Illegal Firing, Hiring, and Human Rights Violations Spree

Kituo Cha Sheria’s acting ED, John Mwariri, has been linked to multiple instances of corruption, illegal firing of long-term officials, and a spree of human rights violations.

This has now put the once vibrant human rights defender organization on its knees as some donors are reportedly contemplating walking away from the organization.

For instance, our investigations reveal that on December 31, 2024, Mwariri, allegedly under the direction of the Board Chair, Mr. Justus Munyithya, terminated the employment of five senior officers at Kituo Cha Sheria, some of whom had served the institution for over twenty years.

“The termination was timely; it came at a time when some were questioning the manner in which the acting ED was quickly dismissing officials and replacing them with ‘slay queens’ from the Kenya School of Law, where he is allegedly a director.”

His decision follows a similar wave of terminations in late 2023 and April 2024, when the contracts for 18 staff members were reportedly illegally terminated without proper justification, notification, or compensation, as the law and justice require.

Some members have vowed to move to court to stop their dismissal.

Our investigations show that of big concern is that whenever opportunities arise, new faces are recruited without considering the persons who were terminated, yet the reason given for the termination of employment was a lack of funds.

The staff whose contracts were ostensibly terminated recently filed an appeal with the board, but the board opted not to respond to them, despite Kituo being a human rights organization.

The man who has been at the helm of Kituo Cha Sheria for only two weeks seems to be overworking on his mission.

“It is important to note that the Acting ED, Mr. John Mwariri, had only been at the helm of the institution for two weeks when this malicious action was occasioned,” a reliable source told Kenya Insights.

So far, the staff have sought the intervention of eminent personalities (including Kituo’s founder members) and senior advocates, but the board chair and his protégé at the secretariat have ignored their counsel.

On account of the above, the remaining officers at the institution live in great fear, their voices muzzled because they do not know who’s next.

Earlier today, on Monday, some paralegals and members of the Kituo community were arrested after they staged a demonstration to call out the violations within the institution.

The police later released them after listening to their plights; they had been booked at Kasarani Police Station.

These aspects of maladministration at Kituo Cha Sheria have justified increasing allegations of conflict of interest against advocates at the board who take up cases from the institution and demand payment using donor money.

It is also alleged that these aspects of discrimination are reflected in the salaries of staff, a matter ripe for investigation.

It is time civil society organizations conduct themselves to the standards they demand of the government and live by the principles they preach.