KHRC condemns deportation of legal advisor, accuses Ruto government of silencing critics
The commission accused President William Ruto’s government of orchestrating a campaign to intimidate and suppress voices critical of his administration.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has condemned the deportation of its senior legal advisor, Martin Mavenjina, calling it a deliberate government crackdown on human rights defenders.
In a statement on Sunday, KHRC said its senior legal advisor on transitional justice, Martin Mavenjina, was deported to Uganda shortly after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 10:00 pm on Saturday, following an official trip to South Africa.
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The commission accused President William Ruto’s government of orchestrating a campaign to intimidate and suppress voices critical of his administration.
“Our staff member, Martin Mavenjina, has been deported to Uganda. He had arrived in Kenya at 10 pm on Saturday following an official visit to South Africa. Mavenjina holds a valid work permit,” the commission said.
According to KHRC, the deportation is part of a broader strategy by the government to silence civil society actors, particularly in the wake of recent anti-government protests.
“Since June 25, the William Ruto regime has been deliberately targeting human rights defenders, and Mavenjina’s deportation is part of their strategy,” the commission said.
The human rights body said it is actively working to ensure Mavenjina is returned to the country.
“We are working to bring Mavenjina back to Kenya,” the commission added.
The government has not issued a formal statement on the deportation or responded to the accusations raised by KHRC.
The Civic Freedoms Forum (CFF) condemned the government’s move, describing the deportation as both illegal and unjustified.
CFF argued that the deportation violated Kenyan law as well as regional commitments under the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (EAC Treaty), citing Articles 6(d) and 7(2), which commit member states to principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“This blatant act of repression by the Kenyan government under the William Ruto administration is part of an escalating and disturbing trend targeting human rights defenders and civil society actors since June 25,” CFF said.
The Forum demanded the immediate reversal of Mavenjina’s deportation and called on authorities to stop what it termed as “ongoing intimidation, harassment, and targeting” of civil society actors.
“We demand the immediate reversal of this deportation, and the unconditional facilitation of Martin Mavenjina’s return to Kenya,” the rights group said.
“We further call on the Government of Kenya to cease the ongoing intimidation, harassment, and targeting of human rights defenders and to uphold its national, regional, and international human rights obligations.”
CFF also reaffirmed its solidarity with the KHRC and other civic actors, saying it stood firm against the criminalization of civic space in Kenya and across the East African region.
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