L E G A L A I D K N OW S N O I N T E R N AT I O N A L B O U N D A R I E S Sitting still is not an option for Ray Besing ’57 of Santa Fe, N.M. He has more than 30 years’ experience as a trial lawyer, in communications regulatory agencies and lecturing on civil trial procedure and evidence for bar associations and law schools. In 2002, he began teaching and lecturing at such schools as University College in London, University of San Diego, University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Catholic University of America, University of Cape Town and The Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Florence, Italy. He also has published extensively, including his book, Who Broke Up AT&T? From Ma Bell to the Internet, and he is working on a new book. At Ripon, Besing was a soloist in the Concert Choir, president of the Ripon Booster Club, on the ROTC National Rifle Team, on the tennis team, was chairman of the Student Court and president of the student body. In the 1970s, he was a trustee of Ripon College. Little wonder, then, that while he was laid up recently recuperating from surgeries, “I got bored,” Besing says. “I started reading up on Kenya. I really don’t know why.” But that has sparked Besing’s latest passion – establishing a free legal aid clinic in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Kibera, Besing says, is a 520-acre section of Nairobi, the largest city in the African continent. In this small area, 1.1 million people live in abject poverty, Besing says. There are no
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sewers and few latrines. The electricity is on only about four hours a day. There are no streets, so fire trucks can’t get in. There is no medical care. He said the government feels that Kibera is royal land, conveyed by the British to the Kenyan government. Accordingly, the government treats the poor people living there as squatters who are not entitled to basic municipal services. “It happens to be close to factories and places to work, so people have to live there, in shacks made of wood and tin,” he says. He says a United Nations survey of Kibera asked residents what they most wanted in terms of help. “Fifth on the list, which surprised me, was legal services,” Besing says. “The issue of land title — is this government land or is this mine — has been going on for 40 years. The mistreatment of the people is beyond description. Ultimately, you must get down to the basic issue of human rights. The right to sustain yourself and live in at least tolerable conditions is a human right recognized in international law and in treaties signed by Kenya, but nobody has ever challenged the Kenyan government on its refusal to provide basic living conditions to the poor in Kibera. If the government owns that land, they’re at least the landlord, and they ought to be required to take care of these people. I got pretty angry about it.” After several exploratory trips to Kenya, Besing raised several hundred thousand dollars to establish The Kibera Centre for Legal Aid and Human Rights. He talked with members of churches, police
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Ray Besing ’57 walks down a footpath in Kibera slum as residents of the area discuss their needs.
departments, law firms and bar societies. He hired a staff of four lawyers, a legal secretary and a bookkeeper, who are assisted by 15 Nairobi lawyers who volunteer time. The center rented offices as close to Kibera as possible and provided furniture and electronic equipment. A van was converted into a mobile law office which provides legal services to the people on the spot. Even before the office officially opened, young lawyers already were working in the grass outside of the building, Besing says. “We needed volunteer practicing lawyers in Nairobi to do pro bono work,” he says. “I had 128 applicants. People are very excited and anxious to help. A lot of people who aren’t lawyers have offered to help.” To guide the young lawyers, Besing has established a board of advisors composed of leading senior lawyers in Nairobi and law professors from the University
of Nairobi. After his latest trip to Kenya in June, Besing will continue to monitor the clinic’s progress. Besing says he has obtained enough committed funds to sustain the clinic for three years. “If we can get this thing off the ground, I think we’re going to be overwhelmed with people who want legal help,” he says. “If we can prove the worth of the program, I think the money will come” to continue. Besing has done volunteer “social work” all of his life. He is keeping tabs on Kibera, writing legislation for the U.S. Senate in the field of telecommunications competition and is eyeing new teaching opportunities. Although officially retired for 15 years, Besing says, “I’ve taught or run a project every year since then. I’m just not going to be retired. My health is good, and I’m just as active as I was at Ripon.”