Overall Purpose
KHRC seeks to hire a Senior Program Officer, Human Rights Research and Documentation, to advance its Strategic Plan for 2025-2035 and its mission of empowering people to claim their rights and resist impunity. The role centers on building KHRC’s legacy in research and thought leadership in the human rights and governance sector. The officer will strengthen research, produce influential knowledge products, and lead critical conversations that drive change.
As research and documentation are the anchors for all our strategic goals and interventions, the officer will, in consultation with the Research and Documentation Oversight team, lead the implementation of “KHRC’s Political and Human Rights Research and Documentation Framework”, with the expected outcome of producing transformative human rights research and documentation that foster sovereignty and thought leadership in governance processes.
Required Qualifications
The ideal candidate should possess the following:
- Bachelor’s degree in law or political science and public policy.
- Those with degrees in law must be advocates of the High Court of Kenya, with a practicing certificate and in good standing.
- A minimum of 4-6 years of related experience, preferably in the NGO sector.
- Expertise in formulating and leading strategic research, policy/legislative work and advocacy on governance and human rights issues will be an added advantage.
- Demonstrable experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including experience in developing human rights-based indicators.
- A solid understanding of and deep commitment to human rights discourse and its application in the promotion of democracy and the rule of law.
- A solid understanding of and engagement with national, regional, and international human rights mechanisms.
- Ability to network with or develop a broad array of partnerships with both state and nonstate actors.
- Demonstrable experience working with or coordinating partners with community and national-level organizations and networks.
- Good understanding of programmes and project management.
- Willing to take initiative and work independently with minimal supervision.
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Overall Purpose
- KHRC seeks to recruit a Rapid Response Associate to advance its Strategic Plan for 2025–2035 and mission of empowering people to claim their rights and resist impunity. The role centres on support, where the associate will work closely with the diverse teams at KHRC to implement research and documentation, urgent action, community and civic engagement, strategic communication, and disruptive litigation interventions and frameworks within the strategy plan.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
- Continuous monitoring and documentation of human rights violations, human rights implementation progress from different partners in the country and region.
- In liaison with the Legal Affairs and Civic Engagement & Rapid Response Officer, propose and participate in fact-finding and research missions.
- In liaison with the Civic Engagement & Rapid Response Officer and Urgent Action Team, support community and civic engagements on reported emerging violations.
- Support all KHRC teams in protection and support to affected groups and victims.
- Ensure timely reporting in line with KHRC and donors’ schedules and policies.
- Participate in the internal committees and overall activities/ affairs of the organization.
- Undertake any other assignment as may be tasked by the commission from time to time.
Required Competencies
The job holder should possess the following skills and behavioural competencies:
- Passionate and committed to respect for human rights, diversity, integrity, and transparency.
- A proactive and spirited human rights defender.
- Planning, Organising and Delivery of Results
- Adapting and coping; demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
- Results-driven, flexible, analytical, and a practical problem solver.
- Ability to work with and in teams.
- Good communication skills, both written and spoken. Editorial capacity is critical.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a team player.
- Tangible experience in resource mobilization.
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Overall Purpose
KHRC seeks to recruit a Legal Affairs Officer to advance its Strategic Plan for 2025–2035 and mission of empowering people to claim their rights and resist impunity. This position will provide leadership in advancing KHRC’s legal and justice agenda through litigation, research, advocacy, and partnerships. The role involves implementing the public interest litigation strategy, monitoring human rights violations, and ensuring KHRC’s compliance with legal and regulatory obligations. The position will also work closely with the Civic Engagement & Rapid Response Officer and Urgent Action Team to contribute to urgent action responses, human rights documentation, policy development, and resource mobilization to strengthen access to justice in Kenya.
The officer will lead in the advancement of access to justice and the protection of human rights aligned with the Strategic Plan’s frameworks, working closely with thematic teams to ensure coherence and synergy across advocacy, research, and community-based initiatives. The position will seek to strengthen KHRC’s legal advocacy and accountability efforts by conducting rigorous legal research, preparing opinions, briefs, and petitions, and maintaining accurate documentation of all legal actions, campaigns, and media actions while ensuring evidence-based litigation, credible reporting, and effective monitoring.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
- The position comes with the following duties and responsibilities:
Legal Affairs & Actions – 40%
- Strengthen and oversee the KHRC Legal Affairs department and team.
- Design and implement KHRC’s interventions on legal affairs and access to justice.
- Lead and oversee implementation of the KHRC public interest litigation strategy
- Receive, compile, and address complaints and human rights violations through KHRC channels.
- Act as the principal representative for KHRC in judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms, as wellas oversee all cases assigned to external advocates.
- Develop and disseminate legal briefs, case digests, and summaries for knowledge sharing and public engagement.
- Follow up on recovery of bail funds from various courts and ensure proper financial accountability.
- Represent KHRC in key networks, including the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ).
Legal Research & Documentation – 40%
- Provide legal reviews, opinions, and advisories to KHRC reports, and draft petitions and statements.
- Maintain and update the case tracker on all cases where KHRC is involved.
- Lead legal research and drafting of briefs, opinions, and petitions for litigation.
- Contribute to the annual state of the administration of justice report prepared by the NCAJ.
- Lead in the documentation of the violations received under the legal office and contribute to the periodic State of Human Rights Report.
- Monitor and report on legal, judicial, policy, and regulatory actions affecting KHRC’s mandate.
- Work with the Urgent Action Team to organize and coordinate all urgent legal responses to emerging violations.
Administration & Partnerships – 20%
- Engage in effective resource mobilization and utilization for your plans and interventions.
- Work closely with the relevant programme leads and members to synchronize legal affairs & engagements.
- Ensure timely reporting in line with KHRC and donors’ schedules and policies.
- Participate in the internal committees and overall activities/ affairs of the organization.
- Represent KHRC in national, regional, and international advocacy networks and forums.
- Supervise researchers, interns, consultants and other staff or human resources assigned to this project.
- Ensure compliance with KHRC policies, practices, and values.
- Undertake other tasks as may be assigned by the supervisor or management.
Required Qualifications
- Education: A degree in Law from a recognized institution.
- Must be an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, with a practicing certificate and in good standing.
- A minimum of 5 years of related experience, preferably in the NGO sector.
- A solid understanding of and deep commitment to human rights discourse and its application in the promotion of democracy and the rule of law.
- A solid understanding of and engagement with national, regional, and international human rights mechanisms.
- Ability to network with or develop a broad array of partnerships with both state and non-state actors.
- Proven track record in public interest litigation and human rights advocacy.
- Experience engaging with national, regional, and international human rights instruments and reporting mechanisms.
- Demonstrated experience in project management and resource mobilization.
Required Competencies
The job holder should possess the following skills and behavioural competencies:
- Passionate and committed to respect for human rights, diversity, integrity, and transparency.
- A proactive and spirited human rights defender.
- A strong understanding of Kenyan constitutional, legal, and policy frameworks.
- Expertise in litigation, legal support, and access to justice mechanisms.
- Strong research, analytical, and drafting skills (legal briefs, petitions, reports)
- Ability to provide rapid legal interventions in urgent situations.
- Strong interpersonal, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Proven ability to manage projects, monitor budgets, and supervise staff
- High ethical standards, integrity, passion, and commitment to human rights.
- Tangible experience in resource mobilization
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Overall Purpose
- To contribute to the fulfilment of our new and transformative Strategic Plan for 2025 to 2035, where elections remain a key and cross-cutting area for intervention owing to the way its processes and outcomes affect the governance of other spheres of life, including political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions. It is one of the reasons we have formulated a 10-year plan to address, from a long-term perspective, the multiple electoral malfeasances and injustices in the region.
- Over the next decade, KHRC will continue to play an active role in all phases of the electoral process — before, during, and after elections. The expected outcome is elections that truly reflect the people's sovereign will. Our efforts will focus on voters, electoral bodies, and civil society groups in Kenya and the region. We will also respond to the human rights abuses that often occur during African elections.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Electoral transformation and justice - 80%
- Develop KHRC’s positions on a human rights-based and people/youth-centred electoral agenda/ manifesto on electoral and political governance in the society.
- Working with Civic Engagement and Rapid Response Officer, develop and implement a political education initiative on transformative leadership.
- Continuously ensure strategic linkages between electoral sovereignty and justice and other areas of KHRC’s work.
- Undertake legislative and policy advocacy on electoral and political reforms in the society.
- Lead the campaign for ethical and accountable leadership in partnership with the National Integrity Alliance, where KHRC is a member.
- Work with the research & documentation team to spearhead high-level research and conversations on electoral governance. This will also apply to election monitoring and observation.
- Work with the Urgent Action Team to institute public interest litigation of critical aspects of elections and the sovereignty of the people.
- Work with the Communications department to shape and drive accountability on electoral technology. Also, develop and manage a tech-based infrastructure.
- Lead in setting up and running strategic coalitions on electoral governance. Also represent KHRC in the national and transnational networks on elections.
- Spearhead human rights-based monitoring and observation of elections and key by-elections in the country and region.
- Monitor electoral governance trends and risks, deliver rapid analysis and responses to urgent situations, to guide KHRC’s strategic interventions.
- In consultation with relevant teams, follow up on electoral promises and the manifestos of political parties to mobilize communities to demand accountability.
- Represent KHRC in the key meetings and coalitions related to electoral justice.
Administration – 20%
- Engage in effective resource mobilization and utilization for your plans and interventions.
- Work closely with the relevant Programme leaders and members to mainstream electoral governance.
- Ensure timely reporting in line with KHRC and donors’ schedules and policies.
- Participate in the internal committees and overall activities/ affairs of the organization.
- Represent the KHRC in all the relevant networks and partnerships at all levels.
- Supervise researchers, interns, consultants, and other staff or human resources assigned to this project.
- Ensure compliance with KHRC policies, practices, and values.
- Undertake any other task as may be assigned by your supervisor from time to time.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in social sciences or law from a recognized university.
- Those with degrees in law must be advocates of the High Court of Kenya, with a practicing certificate and in good standing.
- A minimum of 5 years of experience leading transformative electoral governance interventions, preferably in the NGO sector.
- A profound political understanding of elections and their connections with human rights and application in the promotion of democracy and the rule of law.
- A deep commitment to human rights and a solid grounding in the national, regional, and international human rights mechanisms.
- Ability to network with or develop a broad array of partnerships with both state and nonstate actors.
- Demonstrable experience working with or coordinating partners with community and national-level organizations and networks.
- Expertise in policy research and governance.
- Good understanding of programmes and project management.
- Willing to take initiative and work independently with minimal supervision.
Required Competencies
The job holder should possess the following skills and behavioural competencies:
- Passionate and committed to respect for human rights, diversity, integrity, and transparency.
- A proactive and spirited human rights defender.
- Planning, Organising and Delivery of Results
- Adapting and coping; demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
- Results-driven, flexible, analytical, and a practical problem solver.
- Ability to work with and in teams.
- Good communication skills, both written and spoken. Editorial capacity is critical.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a team player.
- Tangible experience in resource mobilization
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. The closing date for this position is February 18th, 2026. Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
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