Kenya joins 51 countries worldwide with worsening conditions for civic freedoms and human rights

The Civicus Monitor, a respected international human rights watchdog, has placed Kenya among 51 countries where civic space is deteriorating. The country joins El Salvador, Indonesia, Serbia, Turkey, and the United States as new additions to the list. Kenya is now rated as “repressed”, the second-worst category, indicating serious constraints on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.

The downgrade comes after protests held on 25 June and 7 July 2025 against Kenya’s Finance Bill turned deadly, with at least 65 people killed, hundreds injured, and more than 1,500 arrested, according to the Civicus report titled “Police Bullets, Digital Chains: State-Sanctioned Brutality in Kenya’s Peaceful Youth-Led Uprising.”

The report reveals disturbing allegations of rape and gang rape, allegedly perpetrated by state-sponsored thugs who infiltrated protests, attacked demonstrators, and looted property.

“The use of terrorism charges against peaceful protesters raises serious concerns about the weaponisation of the legal system to criminalise dissent,” said Ine Van Severen, Civic Space Research Lead at Civicus.

She continued: “Allegations that much of the violence was instigated by state-backed actors further underscore the systematic nature of repression. The Kenyan government has turned its back on the rights of its people.”

The report also criticised the continued use of unmarked vehicles and masked plainclothes officers, tactics already banned by Kenyan courts, to arrest demonstrators. It flagged the growing misuse of anti-terror laws against protesters as a dangerous trend aimed at intimidating dissenting voices.

Civicus further condemned the killing of teacher and activist Albert Ojwang while in police custody at the Nairobi Central Police Station as evidence of a broader crackdown on free speech and activism.

The watchdog raised alarms over a proposed law that would require social media companies to establish physical offices in Kenya. Civicus argues that this measure could be used to stifle digital freedoms, limit access to platforms, and increase state surveillance under the guise of national security.

Civicus is a global alliance of more than 15,000 civil society organisations and activists from 175 countries, including major partners like Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Save the Children. Its civic space ratings, ranging from “open” to “closed”, are based on data from over 20 partner organisations.

Kenya, once considered a relative beacon of democratic engagement in East Africa, now faces growing scrutiny over its shrinking civic space, state-sanctioned violence, and the criminalisation of protest.

As of now, the Kenyan government has not formally responded to the Civicus report.