ZEPORT ON PROMOTIONAL VISIT8 TO UGANDA AND KENYA FROM
12 21 JULY, 1998
I3Y
PANKWA
PROF,•
ntroduction and Acknowledgernent
At the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human
and Peoples' Rights (the Commission), which was held in Banjul,
The Gambia from 20 to 29 April 1998, 4 new countries Uganda,
Kenya, Sierra Leone and Cameroon were assigned to me for
promotional activities. In such division of States Parties to the
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Charter)
among Commissioners, the Commission expects the former to
contribute towards the fulfiliment of one of its functions.
To proinote Human and Peoples' Rights and in particular:
(a)
disseminate information,
To collect documents
encourage national and local institutions concerned with
human and peoples' rights and, should the case arise, give
its views or make recommendations to Govemments; (Art.
5).
The assistance which I have received in times past from the Lega1
Division of the General Secretariat of the O.A.U. in the planning of
my prornotional visits was once again extended to me in respect of
my visits to Uganda and Kenya. The Commission's Secretary Mr.
German Baricako also responded quickly to my request to notify
the foreign ministries of my host countries with a list of officiais I
desired to see Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior (Home
Affairs), the Attorney General (Minister of Justice), the Head of the
Police and Prison Service, ail officiais with significant
responsibilities for protection of Human Rights. The General
Secretariat of the OAU had earlier on done the same. I appreciate
their assistance.
It is heartening to note that the Embassy of Kenya in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia notified me in Ghana of the grant of my request to have a
meeting with the Foreign Minister of Kenya. In Kampala, Uganda
officiais of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were surprised to learn
that I had not received their positive response to my request to
meet the named officiais on the basis of which a programme had
been drawn up by them for rny visit. The vagaries of
communicating with Ghana through fax and electronic mail in