KHRC raises alarm over police surveillance of Human Rights Watch official
According to HRW, on the evening of August 23, a group of six men, believed to be plain-clothes officers, parked three vehicles at a local police station before walking around Namwaya’s neighbourhood.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has called for an end to the alleged surveillance of a senior Human Rights Watch (HRW) official by the police.
In a statement, the commission said the police actions amounted to intimidation against the senior officer, who is documenting serious human rights abuses in the country.
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“KHRC condemns, in the strongest terms, the surveillance and harassment of Otsieno Namwaya, Associate Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, by officers of the Kenya Police Service. This brazen act of intimidation against a human rights defender is an assault on Kenya’s Constitution and a deliberate attempt to silence critical voices exposing state abuses,” the commission said.
On Friday, HRW, in a statement, said security officials had conducted surveillance at Namwaya’s home between Saturday and Monday, following weeks of attempts by some officers to access him through people known to him.
“The incidents followed weeks of attempts by individuals believed to be from the Operation Support Unit, which operates under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations of the National Police Service, to clandestinely gain access to Namwaya,” HRW said, describing the actions as a stark reminder of the ongoing threats and repression facing rights activists in Kenya today.
“Instead of allowing police units to target activists, Kenyan authorities should be working to improve the environment in which civil society operates,” said the organisation’s interim Executive Director, Federico Borello.
KHRC further demanded that the state guarantee the safety of all human rights defenders. “President William Ruto should know that persecuting those who defend rights only deepens Kenya’s crisis of impunity and will not deter our collective struggle for justice and accountability.”
According to HRW, on the evening of August 23, a group of six men, believed to be plain-clothes officers, parked three vehicles at a local police station before walking around Namwaya’s neighbourhood.
The same officers reportedly returned on the morning of August 25, again parking the same three vehicles at the nearby police station.
“Witnesses saw the six speaking briefly with officers at the station before walking to Namwaya’s house, with one of them constantly on his phone. Another person in the area at the time said the team of six, one of whom appeared to be taking pictures of the house with his phone, loitered around the house for a few hours while also making calls. They later returned to the police station, where witnesses again saw them speaking with officers before driving off in the afternoon,” the organisation said.
On Wednesday, HRW wrote to the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, inquiring whether a court had issued a warrant for Namwaya’s arrest and, if so, requesting clarification regarding the allegations against him.
“The letter also requested specific security guarantees for Namwaya and his family within 24 hours. The Inspector General has not responded,” HRW added.
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