The late Ken Wafula. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
Ken Wafula has been involved in championing for human rights in the North Rift region for the better parts of his life.
Through the Eldoret-based Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (CHRD) which he is the founder, Wafula has helped many locals in addressing human rights violations ranging from domestic violence, violations against street children, fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Kerio valley among others.
"The CHRD was opened to address human rights violations of all kinds and allowed locals to report to them any issues which we could follow up with relevant institutions," said Nick Omito who worked with Wafula before moving to the Centre for Human Rights and Mediation.
"Through this office, we helped many people and this was Wafula's passion given that he was inspired to open the organization because of his experience of injustices while living on the streets," he added.
Wafula first came into the limelight during the International Criminal Court (ICC) cases against six Kenyans over the 2007/08 post-election violence. He was accused of coaching witnesses that were used in the case against Deputy President William Ruto at the ICC, accusations he denied.
"People have always thought that Wafula fixed Ruto at the ICC but truthfully speaking his work was to protect those ICC witnesses and nothing more," Omitto said in Eldoret on Wednesday.
Wafula was also a prominent figure in the search of the late Meshack Yebei, an alleged ICC witness who went missing on December 28, 2014 while he and his wife, had taken their sick child to Turbo Dispensary before his body was later found at Tsavo National Park at the coast.
The activist died on Wednesday at the St. Luke's Hospital in Eldoret town after suffering from high blood pressure leaving behind three children and a wife who is eight months pregnant.Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in Uasin Gishu that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published.