Every year, to highlight the importance of family  units, the world converges on May 15th to  commemorate International Family Day.   As the global landscape continues to evolve, it is  extremely important to reflect on the shifting  nature of families and their diverse compositions.  In international law, the definition of family is  limited to relationships between men and  women, excluding same-sex relationships and  other arrangements deemed incompatible with the legal concept of family. Traditionally, the term family presents an image  of ..read more

A widow, Damaris, in Homabay County is set to rebuild her life after a court sitting in Ndhiwa cancelled a title obtained fraudulently by her brother-in-law on the 14th day of May 2024. The widow’s brother-in-law had previously conducted succession of her deceased’s husband estate without involving her and changed the matrimonial land title from the widow’s deceased husband’s name to his own name effectively disinheriting her. The brother-in-law’s argument for doing this was that the widow was not entitled to inherit his brother’s land because she is a woman and only men ought to own land. KE ..read more

Providing medical care for Gender-Based-Violence (GBV) survivors is a bigger challenge in the rural/ remote regions in Homabay County, Kenya. This is due to, among other things, the low capacity among health care providers to screen for GBV cases. It is in this regard that KELIN supported a five-day long s training for health care providers in Rangwe subcounty, from the 22nd to 26th of April 2024 on clinical management of GBV. The training incorporated both health and legal approaches to GBV in prevention and response interventions across range in the health sector in order to deliver ta ..read more

The 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference, held at United Nations Offices in Nairobi, Kenya on the 9th-10th May 2024, became a stage for impassioned rights-based advocacy as health-focused civil society organizations demanded a more prominent role in the Pact of the Future. The Pact is a framework emerging from the conference discussions ahead of the  Summit of the Future later in the year. Under the umbrella of the Health Impact Coalition, KELIN facilitated a collaborative advocacy effort with national, regional and international health civil society organizations (CSOs) includin ..read more

The ARASA National Cohort Partners[1] meeting in Machakos, Kenya on the 29-30th April 2024 brought together ARASA national partners from Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and Migori, for a cross-learning experience under ARASA’s programme: “My Body is Not a Democracy”. The programme  aims to increase awareness and knowledge of the right to bodily autonomy and integrity (BAI). The Partners’ meeting explored ways to bridge the distinct yet fragmented ways of working and better make use of collective efforts in advocacy on HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) by ARASA national p ..read more

KELIN spearheaded a multi-stakeholder dialogue on Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (FPL) and Restrictions on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, as key policy tools for fostering healthy diets and preventing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The event, held on May 2nd and 3rd, 2024, in Nairobi Kenya, garnered participation from influential stakeholders including UNICEF, the Technical University of Kenya, the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), Kenyan Network of Cancer (KENCO), Baringo County, Ministry of Health, NCD Alliance, Moi University, Ege ..read more

Nairobi, Kenya In a pivotal move towards fortifying the integrity and impact of its research initiatives, the Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN) has officially been registered as a research institution in Kenya. This milestone was recently announced by the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) during the 3rd Multi-Sectoral Conference and Exhibitions on Research, Science, Technology and Innovation held at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya taking place from May 7-10, 2024. This registration underscores KELIN’s unwavering commitment ..read more

Blog article by Duke Otieno In 2023, the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) undertook a study that examined the intellectual property landscape surrounding pharmaceuticals and focusing particularly on the practice of patent extension, commonly known as “evergreening”. The study highlighted how pharmaceutical companies employ evergreening strategies to prolong patent protection by making incremental changes to existing drugs, thereby delaying the entry of generic versions into the market. This practice not only hampers innovation but also impedes access to essential ..read more

A recent study conducted by the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) identified key factors affecting the development of local antiretroviral (ARV) manufacturing in Kenya. The study highlights several challenges affecting progress in this critical area including lack of political will, weak policy and regulatory frameworks on ARV manufacturing, poor health infrastructure, and economic challenges. Despite advocacy efforts from local manufacturers and civil society organizations, the study found that political will from the government has been lacking thus making it di ..read more

A recent study conducted by the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) has shed light on the negative impact of evergreening on access to HIV treatment in Kenya. Evergreening, a practice where pharmaceutical companies extend patent protection for their drugs by making minor modifications, was found to hinder access to affordable medications and particularly ARVs which are crucial for HIV treatment. The study revealed how pharmaceutical companies exploit evergreening strategies to delay the entry of generic versions into the market and ultimately hindering innovation an ..read more