Kenya – Escalating Human Rights Crisis: Urgent Call for Action and Accountability
Introduction
We, the undersigned, write to express grave concern over the Kenyan government’s systematic and escalating human rights violations targeting peaceful protesters, journalists, human rights defenders, and independent institutions since mid-2024, culminating in severe repression during the June and July 2025 demonstrations.
This letter aims to document credible evidence of these abuses and to urge decisive action by international and regional stakeholders.
Recent Incidents of Serious Concern
1. Excessive and Lethal Force Against Protesters
- June 25, 2025: Security forces used live ammunition to disperse largely peaceful protests demanding democracy, justice and accountability. Independent monitors reported at least 19 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and numerous enforced disappearances.
- Survivors have testified to torture, sexual violence, and incommunicado detention.
- Internet and broadcast shutdowns were imposed in protest hubs.
- July 7, 2025 (Saba Saba Day): Police sealed off Nairobi and surrounding areas. Tear gas, water cannons, and live rounds were used in Kangemi, Ngong and Mathare, killing at least 11 and injuring several demonstrators. Media coverage confirms live ammunition was deployed against crowds.
2. Attacks on the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights
- On July 5, masked groups widely described as state-sponsored stormed KNCHR offices in Nairobi, vandalizing property and threatening staff to force cessation of investigations into protest violence.
- Witnesses reported police in the vicinity did not intervene.
3. Suppression of Civic Space and Independent Media
- Journalists covering the protests faced beatings, arbitrary detention, and confiscation of equipment.
- Authorities suspended live broadcasting and forced takedown of social media accounts documenting abuses.
Legal and Normative Obligations
These actions violate:
- Articles 19 and 20 of the Kenyan Constitution (freedom of expression and assembly),
- The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
They also undermine Kenya’s commitments under the African Union Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goal 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions).
Urgent Recommendations
We respectfully call on the international community—including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, bilateral donors, and development partners—to:
- Publicly condemn the killings, enforced disappearances, and assaults on civic freedoms.
- Call for an independent international investigation into protest-related violence and attacks on KNCHR.
- Demand an immediate end to the use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.
- Support protection measures for at-risk journalists, human rights defenders, and survivors of violations.
- Integrate accountability conditions into diplomatic engagement with the Government of Kenya.
- Impose targeted asset freezes and travel bans on officials responsible for the violence while redirecting development funds to support independent civil society and humanitarian assistance.
Conclusion
Kenya’s civic space is facing an existential threat. Silence and inaction will embolden further abuses and erode the foundations of democratic governance.
We urge you to act without delay to protect Kenyan citizens’ rights, support independent oversight institutions, and uphold international human rights norms.
We stand ready to provide further documentation, facilitate survivor testimonies, and support your engagement.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Eeva Mäkinen
Founder and Director
POLIFA
eeva.makinen@polifa.org