A chilling narrative of state-sanctioned violence and repression is emerging in Kenya, with multiple human rights organizations releasing damning reports that paint a grim picture of the nation's civic space. Allegations of police killings, abductions, and the crushing of dissent have placed the government under intense scrutiny, both at home and abroad.

This is not just a story of statistics; it is about the tangible fear now felt by citizens, activists, and journalists who dare to speak out. A report commissioned by the Defenders Coalition, titled “Trends in Civic Space in Kenya: An Assessment,” reveals that constitutional freedoms, while present on paper, are being systematically undermined in practice through intimidation, harassment, and violence.

A Pattern of Brutality

The core of the allegations centers on the heavy-handed response to public demonstrations, most notably the youth-led protests against the Finance Bill that began in 2024. According to the Missing Voices coalition, 2024 saw a disturbing spike in state-led violence, with the group documenting 159 cases of police-related killings and enforced disappearances. This included a staggering 450% increase in enforced disappearances compared to the previous year.

Human Rights Watch corroborated these findings, noting that security forces abducted, tortured, and killed perceived leaders of the anti-Finance Bill protests. The state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) added its voice, stating that police had killed at least 60 protesters and abducted another 66 during the peak of the demonstrations.

• Extrajudicial Killings: Missing Voices documented 104 cases of extrajudicial killings in 2024, with the National Police Service being the primary entity implicated.
• Enforced Disappearances: The coalition recorded 55 cases of enforced disappearances, the highest since it began tracking in 2019.
• Arbitrary Arrests: Over 600 protesters were arbitrarily arrested and detained, according to Amnesty International.
• Digital Repression: Authorities have also been accused of weaponizing social media to suppress dissent through coordinated online threats, intimidation, and disinformation campaigns against activists.

The Government's Defense

Faced with mounting criticism, the Kenyan government has maintained that it is committed to upholding the rule of law. In a response to an inquiry from UN Special Rapporteurs, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi stated that the issues raised are under active investigation by independent bodies like the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Judiciary. The government has often cited the need to preserve the independence of these institutions to avoid prejudicing ongoing cases.

Similarly, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen noted that the government does not sanction violence against any citizen and that any officer implicated in unlawful conduct bears individual responsibility. Despite these assurances, human rights groups argue that impunity remains a serious problem, with very few cases leading to the prosecution of officers. The Missing Voices report highlighted that less than 2% of police-related killing cases are currently in court.

The Kenyan Reality

For the average Kenyan, these reports confirm a worrying trend that directly impacts their safety and their right to hold the government accountable. The crackdown has created a climate of fear, intended to silence dissent over critical issues like the high cost of living and governance. The global civil society organization CIVICUS recently downgraded Kenya's civic freedom status from "obstructed" to "repressed," a significant decline that puts the nation in the company of countries with severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

As UN experts express grave concern over an “emerging pattern of criminalisation and harassment of human rights defenders in Kenya,” local activists are now petitioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, claiming the violations amount to crimes against humanity. This signals a loss of faith in local justice mechanisms to hold the powerful to account. The path forward remains uncertain, but as one report title from Amnesty International starkly puts it, “This fear, everyone is feeling it.”