UNODC in Eastern Africa

Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery in Kenya

About PLEAD

UNODC co-implements the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery in Kenya (PLEAD), a partnership between the Government of Kenya, European Union, United Nations and civil society that is improving the delivery of justice services and use of alternatives to imprisonment.

PLEAD is anchored in the Kenya Vision 2030 strategy and supports government reforms that are transforming the criminal justice sector. The KES 4.2 billion (EUR 34.15 million) partnership runs until 2022. It is the European Union’s largest justice sector investment in Sub-Saharan Africa.

PLEAD partners seek four main outcomes:

Enhanced access to justice, especially for the poor and vulnerable, focused on legal aid
Strengthened court administration and case management
Increased quality and efficiency in the criminal justice system
Improved cooperation throughout the justice sector.

Specific targets by 2022 include achieving a 50 per cent reduction in the backlog of criminal cases and reducing the number of pre-trial detainees by 30 per cent to reduce prison overcrowding.

While aiming for national impact, PLEAD focuses on 12 counties.

Latest PLEAD Stories

UNODC facilitates Alternative Justice Systems exchange between Nakuru and Isiolo Court Users Committee members and elders

European Union supports launch of Prosecutor's Guide to Children in the Criminal Justice System and Diploma in Public Prosecutions

Witness Protection Agency celebrates its 10th anniversary at regional conference

UNODC joins NCAJ to launch new strategic plan on the Council's 10th anniversary

Our technical support

PLEAD Counties UNODC provides a range of technical assistance to five key criminal justice institutions:

Various activities are supporting the justice sector's COVID-19 response. See fact sheet.

Also through PLEAD, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working with the Department of Justice in the Attorney General’s Office and Civil Society Organizations to expand access to legal aid.