Staff

Executive Director

Mr. Hassan Shire Sheikh is currently the Executive Director of the Project and Chairperson of the Network. Mr. Sheikh is a human rights defender from Somalia, with over 15 years of experience working in the region. He has been the Coordinator of African Human Rights Defenders Project at York University, Centre for Refugee Studies since 2003. He holds a Masters degree in Economics and has authored, published and co-published numerous human rights reports including a Human Rights Defenders in Need of Defense: a field report on the protection and effectiveness of human rights defenders in West,  East and the Horn of Africa(2004), York University, Centre for Refugee Studies, Critical Issues on Armed Conflict and Minority and Indigenous Children’s Rights, Mogadishu, Somalia (1998), Illustrated Universal Declaration of Human Rights Pictorial Booklet- Mogadishu, Somalia (1998), among others. In 1996 he was the founder and co-director of the internationally recognized Somali human rights organization - the Dr. Ismail Jumale Human Rights Centre in Mogadishu, Somalia. This organization has played a vital role in creating human rights awareness, carrying out impartial monitoring of human rights violations, and defending human rights in violent and dangerous situations.
He was also a participant of the All Africa Human Rights Defenders Conference, Global Human Rights Defenders summit, and the World Movement for Democracy. He testified as an expert on Somalia at the US Congressional Sub-Committee of Foreign Relations on Africa, the US Department of State, the Nordic fact-finding mission, Canadian Parliamentary Human Rights Committee and other agencies about human rights and democracy in Somalia and the sub-region.
In his role as Executive Director of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, he has actively participated in shaping the structure and proceedings of the new UN Human Rights Council based in Geneva and the Universal Peer Review seeking to assess the performance of member states in compliance with international human rights standards.
Mr. Shire has also actively lobbied for human rights defenders at the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN Human Rights Council sessions.
He has also taken part in an Amnesty International research mission on Somalia and engaged in advocacy missions on rights violations of human rights defenders across the region of the East and Horn of Africa. 

Tel: +256-312-265821 (office), +256-772-753753 (mobile)
Email: executive@defenddefenders.org, hshire@yorku.ca

Program Coordinator

Ms. Nerida Nthamburi joins the EHAHRDP team as the Programme Coordinator in April 2010. She holds a Master of Laws degree in Public Law from the University of Cape Town and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi. Nerida is currently admitted to the bar to practice law as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. Prior to joining EHAHRDP, she worked as Legal Officer in the African Human Rights and Access to Justice Initiative which operates in 12 sub-saharan African countries at the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya) for 3 years. She later moved to the Centre for Legal Information and Communication in Kenya (CLICK) as Programmes Coordinator where she worked with various sectors of government including Parliament, the judiciary, the police and general public to encourage and support effective policies and practices through advocacy, research and policy development.

Nerida has considerable experience in project management, human rights, transitional justice, conflict resolution and international law on the settlement of disputes and is an author of a number of published periodicals and articles in these areas. She is a member of the International Commission of Jurists, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-K).

Tel: +256-312-265822
Email: program@defenddefenders.org

Legal/Protection Officer

Ms. Tabitha Netuwa has joined EHAHRDP as Legal/Protection Officer in January 2008.  She holds a Law degree from Makerere University and has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies. Tabitha previously worked with the Refugee Law Project, Makerere University in both the legal and research departments where she was closely involved with refugees and internally displaced persons. She has also worked in the private legal sector.

At EHAHRDP, Tabitha is responsible for the assessment of emergency cases of human rights defenders at risk, resource allocation for their assistance as well as providing administrative and legal support to HRDs under the protection programme.

Tel: +256-312-265823
Email: protection@defenddefenders.org

Human Rights Officer - Regional and International Advocacy and Research

Ms. Laetitia Bader is working as the Human Rights Officer for Advocacy and Research since January 2008. She studied history at an undergraduate level before changing direction and carrying out a Masters in International Affairs, focusing in Human Rights. The first year of her dual degree Masters was spent at Sciences Po in Paris and the second was spent at SIPA, Columbia University in New York. Laetitia had initially gained experience in the human rights field notably interning with a women’s rights organization in Peru; in the last few years Laetitia has mainly worked on refugee issues and rights.

Laetitia is working on the organisation’s diverse advocacy issues including EHAHRDP’s advocacy campaigns and capacity building activities linked to its involvement with the UN Human Rights Council. She also works in close collaboration with many of EHAHRDP’s partner organizations in lobbying for an improved protection of HRDs.

Tel: +256-312-265824
Email: advocacy@defenddefenders.org

Finance Officer

Mr. Alex Lukoye joins EHAHRDP as Finance Officer from April 2010.  Alex is a Certified Public Accountant CPA (U) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) degree from the University of Makerere. He is experienced in financial management and has considerable experience working in the development and human rights field in the Eastern Africa region having worked in Uganda and Sudan. Before joining EHAHRDP, he was working with the Uganda Red Cross Society as a Regional Accountant prior to which he worked as a Country Accounting Manager for Action Africa Help International AAH-I, in both the Ugandan and Sudan country programmes. Alex also worked as Finance Officer for African Development and Emergency Organisation (ADEO) with their refugee project in Uganda.

Tel: +256-312-265823
Email: finance@defenddefenders.org

Program Assistant

Ms. Nuruh Nakiwala is the Program Assistant of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project since September 2007. Nuruh has a Bachelors Degree in Social Work and Social Administration (SWSA) from Makerere University, Uganda. Her interest and commitment to human rights was stirred through a number of internships involving human rights and community based interventions. She interned with Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) which exposed her to human rights issues, did voluntary work with the Local Government/Sub-county in Kapchorwa District which involved community sensitization and interned with Lweza Rehabilitation Centre for people with disabilities, a factor that later formed the basis of her dissertation paper.

At EHAHRDP, Nuruh assists the program staff in project implementation, financial management and monitoring and grant reporting.

Tel: +256-312-265820
Email: program@defenddefenders.org

Assistant Protection Officer

Ms Murungi Stella is the Assistant Protection Officer of East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project since May 2009. Stella holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Makerere University and recently completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She previously worked at the high court as a research assistant where she was exposed to the several and diverse aspects of the legal system in Uganda and how they work. She also coordinated a joint project with the South African High Commission and a university student volunteer’s organization, (SASVO) dealing with vulnerable children in different communities. This formed the basis for her interest in defending the rights of people.

At EHAHRDP, Stella  helps in assessment of emergency cases of human rights defenders at risk, resource allocation for their assistance as well as providing administrative and legal support to HRDs under the protection programme.

Tel: +256-312-265823
Email: protection@defenddefenders.org

Advocacy Assistant

Ms Caroline Magambo is the Advocacy Assistant of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project since November 2009. Caroline has a Bachelors’ Degree in Mass Communication (Public Relations) from Uganda Christian University, and a Master in Media Research from University of Pune, India. Caroline has initially interned with EHAHRDP, where she coordinated the campus campaign program that was geared towards giving basic human rights education and protection mechanisms to university students, who are upcoming future HRDs.

At EHAHRDP Caroline assists the Human Rights Officer in EHAHRDP’s advocacy campaigns and capacity building activities, as well as acting as the Executive Assistant.

Tel: +256-312-265824
Email: advocacy@defenddefenders.org

Messenger/Driver

Mr. Ambrose Katwesigye has been working with EHAHRDP as Messenger and Driver since early 2007. Ambrose has successfully completed Secondary School in Uganda and since then worked as a driver for several companies.

In this work at EHAHRDP, he is responsible for running logistical errands, coordinating the transport of staff members and maintenance of the office vehicle.

Contact details:
Tel: +256-312-265820