Guidance to Business

CHAPTER TWO: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS AND THEMATIC AREAS OF FOCUS

2.3 Land and Natural Resources [Page 7]

The NAP consultations identified the following concerns related to land, natural resource development and business:

[…]

2.    Lack of guidance on community consultations in the context of natural resources governance resulting in inadequate participation of local communities in decision making;

 

2.7 Access to Remedy [Pages 13-14]

Most businesses have a relatively low understanding of their human rights responsibilities resulting in lack of engagement with employees, local communities and other stakeholders on how to ensure that they respect human rights and provide a remedy for violations. Business associations stated that they lack proper guidance on establishing credible operational-level grievance handling mechanisms.

 

CHAPTER THREE: POLICY ACTIONS

3.1. Pillar 1: The State Duty to Protect [Page 16-18]

States are expected to explicitly set out expectations that all businesses in their jurisdictions, including state-owned businesses and those businesses with which they engage in commercial transactions, respect human rights through policies, laws and guidance.

 

Policy Actions

The Government will:

viii.     Work with stakeholders to develop a natural resource revenue management policy and regulatory framework for administering and managing natural resource revenue paid to host communities. This framework should seek to promote equity, inclusivity and community decision-making and will include training to enhance the capacity of communities to manage their affairs. It will also serve to guide the operationalisation of mining revenue as envisaged by the Mining Act, 2016; […]

 

3.2. Pillar 2: Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights [Pages 18-19] 

The current voluntary initiatives established and adopted by business associations on different human rights issues do not have strict compliance and reporting mechanisms. They therefore fail to offer businesses that have ascribed to them the required guidance and supervision to ensure that their operations respect human rights. There is no mandatory requirement for human rights due diligence. Businesses, including state-owned enterprises, have not embraced the practice of engaging those whose rights are most likely to be impacted by their operations in any human rights due diligence.

Policy Actions

a) Training: Develop and disseminate guidance for businesses on their duty to respect human rights and the operationalisation of this duty in the Kenyan context, including the implications of their operations on the environment, gender, human rights defenders, minorities, persons living with disabilities, marginalised and other vulnerable groups to promote responsible labour practices and inclusivity.

 

3.3. Pillar 3: Access to Remedy [Page 21]

B) Non-State-Based Grievance Mechanisms

Policy Actions

  1. Develop and disseminate guidance for businesses on the establishment of credible operational-level grievance mechanisms that are consistent with international standards. Such grievance mechanisms should be responsive to the needs and rights of vulnerable groups such as women, persons with disabilities, children and indigenous persons;
  2. Sensitise businesses and those impacted by their activities on the benefits of establishing and utilising credible operational-level grievance mechanisms; […]

 

CHAPTER FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING

ANNEX 1: SUMMARY OF POLICY ACTIONS [Pages 23-25]

Strategic Objective Policy Actions Key Actors
Strategic Objective 1:

Enhance existing policy, legal, regulatory and administrative framework for ensuring respect of human rights by business through legal review and development of specific guidance for business

Introduce a requirement for conducting Human Rights due diligence including the particular impacts on gender before approval of licences/permits to businesses. OAG&DOJ; State Department of Gender; Ministry of Trade and Industrialization, Ministry of Mining
Ensure continuous training for government agencies’ workers involved in the promotion and regulation of businesses on the State’s human rights obligations and the nexus to their various mandates and functions. KSG, OAG&DOJ, KNCHR, KEPSA, KAM
Develop guidelines for non-financial reporting under the Companies Act 2015. OAG&DOJ, Parliament, KLRC
Develop procedural guidelines for use by businesses, individuals and communities in their negotiations for land access and acquisition. Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, NLC, OAG&DOJ
Strategic objective 2:

Enhance understanding of the obligation of business to respect human rights

Develop and disseminate guidance for businesses on their duty to respect human rights and the operationalisation of this duty in the Kenyan context, including the implications of their operations. OAG&DOJ, KNCHR, KAM, KEPSA, Global Compact