National Cohesion Programme Officer Jobs at Kenya Human Rights Commission

Job Title: Programme Officer – National Cohesion and Positive Ethnicity
Job Location: Nairobi

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which was founded in 1992 and registered in Kenya in 1994 with a mandate to entrench human rights and democratic values in the society.

In 2012, the Commission evaluated its 2008-2012 strategic plans and developed an interim strategic plan for 2013-2018 in which it envisions: A human rights state and society and outlines its mission as to foster human rights, democratic values, human dignity and social justice.


This vision and mission will be driven by the goal and new mandate of enhancing human rights centred governance at all levels.

To this end, KHRC seeks to recruit dynamic, organized, motivated and results-oriented individuals.

The positions will be based in Nairobi, with extensive field work mostly within Kenya.

Overall purpose of the job

To ensure a more; equitable ethno-regional distribution of resources and ethnically diverse representation and participation in political governance.

Contractual Period: One year renewable contract based on performance and funding

Target Group: National, regional and international level grants makers and development partners.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to Senior Programme Officer – Equality and Non-Discrimination (END), the post holder will:-

Conduct county baselines on ethno-regional dimensions of political participation and representation and resource allocation;
Conduct study on approaches being used to address ethno-regional discrimination at county and national levels;
Meet with the NCIC to advocate for national indicators to monitor ethno-regional equality in political participation and resource allocation;
Hold meetings with national and county level state and non-state to discuss approaches towards ensuring ethno-regional equity in political participation and resource allocation;
Conduct media campaigns to expose the collusion across ethnic groups by economic and political elites for purposes of corruption and oppression of poor people;
Produce and film short films that foster cohesion between different ethnic communities and highlight the need to unite to prevent economic and political elite’s corruption and oppression of poor people;
Provide training to media representatives about the class based causes of ethnic discrimination and the need for thoughtful and ethical reporting;
Monitor media operations with respect to content and staffing in the context of diversity;
Conduct EAC country baseline studies on ethno-regional discrimination;
Hold EAC conference on addressing negative ethnicity in the region and develop a position paper on adopted strategies;
Work with partners to co-author shadow report for CERD;
Carry out an international comparative study on approaches to strengthening of national cohesion;
Hold international learning exchange meeting on approaches to strengthening of national cohesion;
Supervise researchers, interns and other staff or human resources assigned to this project.
Ensuring timely reporting and accountability in line with KHRC’s schedules and policies.
Undertaking other tasks and interventions as may be assigned from time to time by your immediate supervisor

Qualifications and Experience

To be successful in this role the post holder will have the following competencies:

A degree in Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Anthropology or other related social sciences.
At least 3-4 years’ experience of working on END issues in Kenya and the related human rights issues.
Strong understanding of the national, regional and international human rights and governance issues and mechanisms.
Proven track record in undertaking research, policy/legislative work and advocacy on governance and human rights issues.
Ability to network with or develop a broad array of partnerships with both state and non-state actors.
Demonstrable experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods including experience of developing human rights-based indicators.
Demonstrable experience working with or coordinating partners with community and national levels organizations and networks.
Willing to take initiative and work independently with minimal supervision.

Personal Attributes and Skills

Passionate and committed to human rights including respect for diversity, integrity and transparency.
Excellent interpersonal skills and a team player.
Results-driven, flexible, analytical and a practical problem solver.
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
Ability to fundraise and mobilize resources.

How to Apply:

If you believe you fit the profile, submit your application and CV detailing your suitability for the post and including daytime telephone contact and three referees, preferably your current or previous line managers to vacancies@khrc.or.ke quoting the title of the position you are applying for in the subject line.

Deadline: 24/07/2013