Kituo Cha Sheria, a leading public interest law organization in Kenya, is implementing a time-bound initiative titled Strengthening Access to Justice for Survivors of Extreme Injustices. The initiative seeks to deepen understanding of, and strengthen responses to, extreme injustices affecting marginalized populations living in Nairobi’s informal settlements. These injustices include, but are not limited to, human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, extrajudicial killings, torture, forced evictions, and systemic denial of essential services.
Nairobi’s informal settlements are home to a significant proportion of the city’s population. Residents of these areas often experience structural exclusion from formal justice systems due to poverty, insecurity, inadequate documentation, fear of retaliation, limited awareness of legal remedies, and weak institutional presence. Survivors of extreme injustices within these settings face compounded barriers when seeking protection, redress, and accountability. While some national-level data exists, there is a recognized gap in detailed, context-specific evidence on how extreme injustices manifest in informal settlements and how survivors navigate available justice and protection mechanisms.
Within this broader context, human trafficking is of particular concern. Preliminary observations indicate that trafficking cases in informal settlements are underreported and frequently intersect with other forms of injustice, including labor exploitation, housing insecurity, police brutality, and displacement. Advocates and paralegals working at the community level encounter suspected trafficking cases but often lack specialized, practical tools to identify, manage, and pursue these cases in a manner that is legally sound and trauma-informed.
To address these gaps, Kituo Cha Sheria seeks to engage a senior consultant to undertake a two-phase consultancy. The first phase focuses on conducting a contextual needs assessment on extreme injustices, with particular attention to human trafficking, in selected Nairobi informal settlements. The second phase builds directly on the findings of the needs assessment to develop a comprehensive Anti-Trafficking Legal Toolkit tailored to the realities of informal settlement contexts. The consultancy is designed to ensure that programmatic interventions and legal tools are grounded in evidence and responsive to documented needs rather than assumptions.
The consultancy will be implemented over a period of fourteen weeks and will be based in Nairobi, with fieldwork conducted in selected informal settlements. The consultant will report to the Forced Migration Program Coordinator at Kituo Cha Sheria and will work closely with Kituo’s legal aid team throughout the assignment.
Position Overview
Position Title: Senior Consultant – Contextual Needs Assessment and Anti-Trafficking Toolkit Development
Implementing Organization: Kituo Cha Sheria
Project: Strengthening Access to Justice for Survivors of Extreme Injustices
Location: Nairobi informal settlements, with specific sites determined during inception
Duration: Fourteen weeks
Reporting Line: Forced Migration Program Coordinator
This consultancy is structured as a single position responsible for executing both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the assignment. The consultant will be expected to provide strategic leadership, technical expertise, and hands-on implementation across research, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and toolkit development.
Detailed Job Description
The consultant will be responsible for planning, implementing, and delivering all components of the consultancy as outlined below. The work is divided into two sequential and interlinked phases, with clear deliverables and timelines.
Phase 1: Contextual Needs Assessment on Extreme Injustices
The first phase of the consultancy will focus on generating a robust, evidence-based understanding of extreme injustices in Nairobi’s informal settlements, with a specific emphasis on human trafficking and its intersections with other forms of injustice. This phase will run for the first six weeks of the assignment, followed by validation and finalization activities.
Inception and Planning
At the start of the consultancy, the consultant will develop a detailed inception report that demonstrates a clear understanding of the assignment and its objectives. This will include refining the scope of the assessment in consultation with Kituo Cha Sheria, identifying priority informal settlements for inclusion, and confirming key research questions aligned with project objectives. The consultant will design a comprehensive methodology that outlines sampling strategies, data collection approaches, and analytical frameworks appropriate for a rapid but rigorous qualitative assessment.
The consultant will also be responsible for developing data collection tools, including interview guides for survivors, key informants, and service providers, as well as focus group discussion protocols and community mapping tools. Ethical considerations will be central at this stage, and the consultant will establish trauma-informed consent procedures, confidentiality safeguards, data protection measures, and referral pathways for participants who may require support. A risk mitigation plan addressing researcher safety and participant protection in informal settlement environments will also be developed.
Data Collection
During the data collection sub-phase, the consultant will conduct a desk review of existing literature, reports, and datasets related to extreme injustices and human trafficking in Nairobi and comparable urban informal settings. This review will inform primary data collection and help situate findings within broader national and regional contexts.
Primary data collection will employ qualitative methods tailored to different stakeholder groups. The consultant will conduct individual interviews with survivors of extreme injustices using trauma-informed approaches that prioritize dignity, safety, and voluntary participation. Where necessary, referrals to appropriate support services will be facilitated in line with agreed protocols.
The consultant will also facilitate focus group discussions with community members, ensuring that discussions are structured in a way that captures diverse perspectives, including those of women, men, youth, and other marginalized groups. Key informant interviews will be conducted with community leaders, paralegals, community health volunteers, social workers, legal aid providers, and relevant justice sector actors such as police officers and prosecutors.
A core responsibility during this phase will be to examine human trafficking within the broader ecosystem of extreme injustices. This includes documenting trafficking typologies, recruitment and control mechanisms, survivor profiles, and contextual factors that enable exploitation. The consultant will explore how trafficking intersects with documentation challenges, economic vulnerability, housing insecurity, and experiences of violence or state abuse.
Analysis and Reporting
Following data collection, the consultant will analyze qualitative data to identify patterns, themes, and variations across different informal settlements. Analysis will focus on the prevalence and manifestations of extreme injustices, vulnerability profiles and compounding risk factors, existing community-based and formal response mechanisms, and systemic barriers to justice and protection.
The consultant will prepare a comprehensive needs assessment report written in accessible language suitable for both technical and non-technical audiences. The report will present evidence-based findings, supported by anonymized case examples and illustrative quotations where appropriate. It will balance breadth and depth by covering the full spectrum of extreme injustices while providing sufficient detail on trafficking to inform specialized interventions.
The consultant will facilitate a validation workshop with Kituo Cha Sheria staff, partner organizations, and selected stakeholders to present draft findings and gather feedback. Feedback from this process will be incorporated into the final needs assessment report. A dedicated section of the final report will synthesize findings most relevant to the development of the Anti-Trafficking Legal Toolkit, ensuring a clear linkage between Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Phase 2: Anti-Trafficking Legal Toolkit Development
The second phase of the consultancy will build directly on the findings of the contextual needs assessment. This phase will focus on developing a practical, user-friendly Anti-Trafficking Legal Toolkit designed for advocates and paralegals working in informal settlement contexts. The toolkit will aim to strengthen identification, case management, referral, and legal response to trafficking cases.
Research and Content Development
At the outset of Phase 2, the consultant will prepare a toolkit inception report outlining the proposed structure, content, and development process for the toolkit. This report will demonstrate how Phase 1 findings inform the toolkit’s design and priorities.
The consultant will conduct a targeted desk review of Kenya’s anti-trafficking legal and policy framework, including the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act 2010, related regulations, national action plans, and relevant international instruments. Best practice toolkits and guidance from comparable contexts will also be reviewed to inform content development.
Stakeholder consultations will be undertaken with Kituo’s advocates and paralegals, partner organizations, relevant government units, prosecutors, and service providers. Where ethically appropriate, perspectives from trafficking survivors may be incorporated to ensure survivor-centered design.
The consultant will develop comprehensive toolkit content organized into modular sections. These modules will cover understanding human trafficking in Kenya with contextualized insights from Phase 1, identification and screening tools adapted to informal settlement contexts, trauma-informed survivor support principles, legal procedures and remedies, case management protocols, and mapped referral pathways reflecting the service landscape identified during the needs assessment.
Toolkit Design, Field Testing, and Refinement
The toolkit will be designed to be practical and accessible. Content will be written in plain language and structured to support users with varying levels of formal education. The consultant will develop flowcharts, checklists, templates, and illustrative case scenarios adapted to realities documented in Phase 1.
The consultant will facilitate field testing of the draft toolkit through a pilot workshop with advocates and paralegals. Participants will review content, apply tools to sample scenarios, and provide feedback on clarity, relevance, and usability. The consultant will systematically analyze feedback and revise the toolkit accordingly.
Finalization and Dissemination Planning
In the final weeks of the consultancy, the consultant will finalize the toolkit, ensuring consistency, completeness, and professional presentation. The toolkit will be delivered in both print-ready PDF format and editable Word format.
The consultant will also develop a Toolkit Dissemination and Training Plan, outlining recommendations for rollout, training curricula, strategies for updating referral information, and indicators for monitoring toolkit use and impact.
Working Arrangements and Collaboration
Throughout the consultancy, the consultant will work collaboratively with Kituo Cha Sheria’s legal aid team and management. Regular check-ins will be held to discuss progress, emerging findings, and any challenges requiring adjustment. A formal handover between Phase 1 and Phase 2 will ensure continuity and effective integration of findings into toolkit development.
All activities must comply with Kituo Cha Sheria’s safeguarding policies and ethical standards. The consultant will be responsible for ensuring informed consent, confidentiality, and the safety and wellbeing of all research participants. The final toolkit will remain the property of Kituo Cha Sheria for non-commercial use.
Application Process
Interested consultants are invited to submit a complete application package consisting of a technical proposal, curriculum vitae, writing samples, references, and a financial proposal. Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected] and copied to [email protected] with the subject line “Needs Assessment and Toolkit Development Consultancy” no later than 20 January 2026.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further engagement.
