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<blockquote><div class="quotetitle">Quote from <a class="profile-link highlight-moderator" href="https://lawguide.co.ke/understanding-law/legal-forum/profile/lawyer/">Lawyer</a> on August 15, 2025, 9:06 am</div><div id="pl-7582"  class="panel-layout" ><div id="pg-7582-0"  class="panel-grid panel-no-style" ><div id="pgc-7582-0-0"  class="panel-grid-cell"  data-weight="1" ><div id="panel-7582-0-0-0" class="so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child" data-index="0" data-style="{&quot;background_image_attachment&quot;:false,&quot;background_display&quot;:&quot;tile&quot;,&quot;background_image_size&quot;:&quot;full&quot;,&quot;background_image_opacity&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;border_thickness&quot;:&quot;1px&quot;}" ><div
			
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	<p dir="ltr" data-pm-slice="0 0 []">Nairobi, Kenya, August 14, 2025 - A significant deterioration in Kenya’s human rights landscape marked 2024, with widespread abuses including unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, torture, and transnational repression, according to the United States’ annual State of Human Rights report. The report, released recently, paints a grim picture of the country’s human rights situation, particularly during the nationwide Gen Z protests in June and July 2024, which saw authorities commit numerous violations against citizens exercising their rights.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The report underscores the violent response to the Gen Z protests, which erupted in June and July 2024, driven by young Kenyans demanding political and social justice, particularly in opposition to the Finance Bill 2024. The bill, which proposed tax increases on basic commodities like bread, sparked outrage for exacerbating the country’s debt crisis without adequate social protections. During these protests, authorities deployed excessive force, resulting in significant casualties and injuries. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 60 deaths, while the Independent Policing Oversight Authority documented 50 deaths and 199 injuries. The Interior Ministry, however, claimed a lower death toll of 42.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Police actions included the use of live bullets, tear gas, and batons against protesters, many of whom were peaceful. In Nairobi, on June 25, 2024, as parliament passed the Finance Bill, hundreds of protesters gathered near the parliamentary precincts. Security forces, some wearing balaclavas, dispersed them with prohibited tear gas and live ammunition, leading to at least six deaths by gunshot and hundreds of injuries, including gunshot wounds and trauma from batons and tear gas canisters. One protester lost three fingers after being struck by a tear gas canister. The military was also deployed to support police efforts, a move criticized by the Law Society of Kenya as an intimidatory tactic, despite a High Court ruling on June 27 approving the deployment but demanding a clear timeline, which the government failed to provide.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The report highlights severe restrictions on freedom of expression and media during the protests. Civil society groups documented intimidation of critics, including the arrest of activist and blogger Francis Gaitho in July 2024 for allegedly publishing false information on social media. Journalists faced significant harassment, with at least 24 incidents of violence and intimidation reported. Notable cases include Catherine Kariuki of MediaMax Network, who was shot with non-lethal pellets, and CNN Africa correspondent Larry Madowo, who was targeted with tear gas. Media organizations also faced coordinated attacks following critical investigative reports, with authorities engaging in digital surveillance of online activists and disrupting internet access to curb dissent.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Over 600 protesters were arbitrarily arrested between June and August 2024, with some detained beyond the legal 24-hour limit or charged with fabricated offenses. Medical personnel aiding injured protesters were also arrested, and lawyers representing detainees faced intimidation or arrest to pressure them into dropping cases. The report details at least 72 enforced disappearances, including human rights defenders and activists. A prominent case involved human rights defender Bob Njagi, who was detained for 32 days incommunicado for planning protests before his release on September 20, 2024. The government neither acknowledged these disappearances nor complied with court orders to produce the missing individuals, raising concerns about accountability.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The report notes at least 104 extrajudicial killings in 2024, with cases like that of Denzel Omondi, a student found dead in a swamp in Juja, Kiambu County, on July 6, 2024, after participating in anti-Finance Bill protests. Investigations into such cases, including one involving former police officer Ahmed Rashid, accused of at least two extrajudicial killings, remain ongoing without significant progress. Additionally, femicide emerged as a critical issue, with 97 women killed between August and October 2024, primarily due to gender-based violence. High-profile cases, such as those of Rita Waeni and Starlet Wahu, prompted nationwide marches demanding stronger government action to protect women and expedite prosecutions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The report also addresses transnational repression, citing the abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, by alleged Ugandan agents, who forcibly repatriated him. Another incident involved a registered Ugandan refugee and 36 members of Uganda’s Forum for Democratic Change, arrested and returned to Uganda, with Kenyan authorities denying knowledge of the operation despite Ugandan claims of coordination.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The practice of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) persisted, particularly in rural areas, despite legal prohibitions, due to weak enforcement. The report also critiques the government’s digital identification project, which raised privacy concerns due to inadequate public consultation, and the Social Health Insurance Fund, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund in October 2024, leading to healthcare access issues for some patients due to implementation delays.</p>
<p dir="ltr">While the government took steps to identify and punish officials responsible for abuses, the report notes that impunity remained a pervasive issue at all levels. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority opened investigations into protest-related incidents, but no progress updates were made public. President William Ruto’s public denial of knowledge about enforced disappearances and the government’s failure to comply with court orders further eroded trust in accountability mechanisms. Draft legislation, such as the Assembly and Demonstrations Bill 2024, threatens to further restrict freedoms of expression and assembly by expanding police powers and imposing harsh penalties for “unlawful” protests.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The human rights abuses occurred against a backdrop of political turmoil, including the impeachment of then-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in October 2024 on charges of gross misconduct, tribalism, and corruption. Forced evictions in Nairobi’s Mathare and Mukuru Kwa Njenga settlements displaced 6,000 households amid heavy rainfall, leaving residents homeless without adequate relocation plans. The High Court in Nairobi ordered compensation for these residents by April 2025, but the government’s failure to engage communities or provide sufficient notice drew criticism.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kenya’s inclusion on a list of six countries with worsening human rights records, alongside El Salvador, Indonesia, Turkey, Serbia, and the United States, underscores the severity of the situation. The report emphasizes the need for urgent reforms to address systemic issues, including police conduct, judicial independence, and protections for vulnerable groups.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The United States’ report serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing Kenya’s democratic institutions and human rights framework. As the country navigates economic and social pressures, the international community and local stakeholders are urged to press for accountability, transparency, and robust protections for fundamental rights to prevent further erosion of Kenya’s human rights record.</p>
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