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Kenya: End Abductions and Ill-Treatment of Human Rights Defenders

Kenya Protests January2025 GettyImages 2191203232

 

CIVICUS global civil society alliance calls on President William Ruto and the government of Kenya to immediately and unconditionally free 20 protestors still missing. Increasing cases of abductions and unlawful detention of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and social activists in Kenya are gravely worrying.

President Ruto must deliver on his words and his government’s human rights commitments. Releasing all unfairly detained, remedying any harm to activists, putting an end to abduction of activists protesting and expressing dissent, and holding to account all, including state authorities, responsible for perpetrating unlawful acts of violence and intimidation must be priorities for the Kenyan authorities.

The President should urgently address gross human rights violations and ensure human dignity and fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. The laws must be enacted justly and equally as guaranteed under both national and international legal frameworks.

All abuses in the form of state-sponsored intimidation contradict Kenya’s Constitutional guarantees on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. They also go against its obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance ratified in 2007.

Unfortunately, state authorities are increasingly resorting to abductions as a tactic to silence dissent. In 2024, 84 HRDs and activists were reportedly abducted by state agents. These abductions led to the End Abductions KE protests starting from 30 December 2024, across the country, demanding the unconditional release of all abductees.

Following a pledge by President Ruto, Five HRDs, Gedion Kibet (alias Kibet Bull), Ronny Kiplagat, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, and Bernard Kavuli have been released.

However, 20 others including Steve Mbisi have not been released and their whereabouts are unknown. They are among activists in Kenya that played a critical role in highlighting issues of governance, accountability, and economic hardship faced by citizens. Through use of digital activism and peaceful protests like the Gen Z Reject Finance Bill 2024, they amplified the public discontent over high taxation, corruption, unemployment, and government underperformance.

Despite calls from the public, international community, and judiciary, little action has taken place. Inspector General of the National Police Service has failed to comply with Habeas corpus orders and directives to arrest perpetrators of unlawful acts. The disregard of judiciary, failure to present abductees in court within the mandated 24-hour period, and the inhumane treatment of unlawful detention of activists are deeply worrying. So are acts of torture, cruelty, and degradation unleashed upon citizen activists.

CIVICUS condemns activist abductions as a blatant violation of human rights and state-sponsored intimidation. The gross abuse of HRDs undermines the rule of law and democratic principles of Kenya and deeply hurts its international standing as a democracy. CIVICUS Monitor, which rates civic space across the globe, rates Kenya as “repressed.”

We urge President William Ruto to end all abductions and detentions of HRDs and social activists, unconditionally release all in detention, and provide amends of those who faced harm. We also call for accountability for all perpetrating unlawful acts, especially state authorities. Kenya must uphold the Bill of Rights as stipulated in its 2010 Constitution.

We remind the government that the protection of human rights is fundamental to achieving a just, equitable, and democratic society.

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