Kenya’s powerful protest movement and the demand for change
On Monday, 7 July, people in Kenya gathered in Nairobi and across the country to voice outrage at the government of President William Ruto. When roadblocks and heavy police presence designed to lock down Nairobi failed, authorities resorted to violence – deploying tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition to silence the crowds.
At least 31 people lost their lives, 107 were injured, and 532 were arrested, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), a state-run human rights agency. We also received confirmation that 3 journalists were attacked as they documented the unfolding situation.
On the eve of Saba Saba, the annual commemoration of Kenya’s 1990 protest movement demanding democracy, thugs with suspected links to the government arrived at the KHRC offices, disrupting a meeting held by Kenyan mothers calling for an end to arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. On Saturday, the group also reported that authorities deported one of its staff members to Uganda after arriving in Kenya, despite holding a valid work permit.
Our colleagues in Nairobi are in constant contact with partners on the ground. Together, they are monitoring the unfolding situation and documenting violations against rights to personal security, dignity, movement, association, assembly, due process, and access to information, as well as media freedom and digital rights.
‘Over many years, authorities have tried to stifle our right to protest and to silence our voices, a blatant violation of our human rights,’ said Mugambi Kiai, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa Regional Director. ‘The government continues to use the police and other security forces to subdue political dissent and unlawfully disband protests in Kenya. These killings, beatings, disappearances and arrests go against the Constitution of Kenya. It’s time for the government, and the police, to respond to these patterns by holding those responsible to account. The people of Kenya demand change now.’
The most recent clashes come just 2 weeks after youth-led demonstrations spread across the country, during which 16 people died. That protest marked one year since the 2024 street rallies against proposed tax rises and unemployment that resulted in the death of 60 people. Younger student protesters are among many who say they are alarmed by what they see as a slide back towards authoritarianism.
They told reporters that many people say they are still trying to achieve the aims of Saba Saba in 1990: freedom, accountability, and justice.
We stand in solidarity with our colleagues in Kenya, and continue to be inspired by their passion, spirit and determination.
Violence can never be the answer to people’s calls for change, and we urge the government to listen to its people. The international community and regional bodies must continue speaking up for people in Kenya, and take action to protect their right to protest and to freedom of expression.
The people of Kenya depend on it, and we have a clear duty to stand up for the fundamental rights so vital to our democracies.
