NAIROBI, February 18, 2014 –Director-General Irene Khan has met Chief Justice of Kenya Willy Mutunga and his Somali counterpart, Aidid Abdullahi Ilka Hanaf, to review IDLO’s support for Somalia as it develops a first national Strategic Action Plan. The Organization is also busy helping establish a Judicial Service Commission under Somalia’s constitutional famework.
During the meeting, Chief Justice Hanaf expressed a desire to learn from Kenya’s own judicial transformation process, a move Chief Justice Mutunga said he was keen to facilitate. For its part, IDLO will be supporting a study tour of Somali judges to Nairobi, as a step towards what it is hoped will become a pattern of regular judicial cooperation.
It was remarked that in both Kenya and Somalia, a high proportion of the population seeks justice from informal systems. IDLO has also agreed to promote the sharing of experience in this area. The aim is to ensure that customary forms of justice in the region comply with international standards.