US report raises alarm over deterioration of human rights in Kenya
The annual report notes that in response to nationwide protests in June and July, authorities committed numerous abuses, and took steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, but impunity was a problem at all levels of government.
Kenya experienced a significant decline in human rights last year, marked by unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, torture and transnational repression, according to the United States' annual State of Human Rights report.
The report highlighted widespread abuses during nationwide Gen Z protests in June and July 2024, stating that Kenyan authorities committed numerous violations, including arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force, torture and extrajudicial killings.
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"Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings; disappearances; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; arbitrary arrest or detention; transnational repression against individuals in another country; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats of violence against journalists and censorship," the report stated.
It noted that while rights groups reported varying death tolls during the protests, with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) attributing 60 deaths and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) reporting 50 deaths and 199 injuries, the Interior Ministry placed the number at 42.
The report also denounced restrictions on freedom of expression during the period, saying civil society groups documented intimidation of critics such as activist and blogger Francis Gaitho, who was arrested and charged in July for publishing false information on social media. Others suffered physical attacks and imprisonment.
It also highlighted that media organisations faced coordinated attacks following critical investigative reports, with at least 24 incidents of harassment and violence reported, including that of Catherine Kariuki of MediaMax Network, who was shot with non-lethal pellets by police, and CNN Africa correspondent Larry Madowo, who was targeted with tear gas.
The report also detailed enforced disappearances, highlighting the case of human rights defender Bob Njagi, who was detained for planning protests and held incommunicado for 32 days before release.
"The government neither officially acknowledged the three were missing nor complied with a court order to produce them in court. After 32 days of incommunicado detention, the three men were released on September 20," the report added.
It went on, "Authorities held some defendants in pretrial detention longer than the statutory maximum term of imprisonment for the crime for which they were charged. The government claimed the average time spent in pretrial detention was 14 days, but there were reports that many detainees spent two to three years in prison before their trials were completed."
The US further took note of the rise in femicide cases last year and the continued practice of Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), particularly targeting infants, despite laws criminalising the practice, saying enforcement remains weak, especially in rural areas.
"The government did not enforce the law effectively, although government officials often participated in public awareness programs to prevent the practice. Nevertheless, some communities practised FGM/C widely, particularly in rural areas," the report revealed.
Transnational repression was also highlighted in the report, citing the November 16 incident where Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was kidnapped by alleged Ugandan agents while visiting Nairobi and forcibly repatriated.
Earlier, a registered Ugandan refugee living in Kenya was arrested alongside 36 members of Uganda's opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and forcibly returned to Uganda.
"The Kenyan government officials claimed they were unaware of the abduction, but Ugandan authorities maintained it was a coordinated action," the report stated.
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