On 16 July 2026, forty-six delegates from 23 Human Rights Friendly Schools across seven counties gathered for Amnesty Kenya’s inaugural Children’s Annual Delegates Conference (ADC). The first governance forum of its kind in Amnesty Kenya’s history. More than a milestone event, the Children’s ADC marked the fulfillment of a four-year vision to create a space where children are recognized not only as participants in the movement, but as contributors to its governance. 

Based on survivor testimonies documented by Amnesty International Kenya.

In the ashes of the 2007-2008 post-election violence, Kenya made a promise to itself: never again. More than 1,100 people lost their lives, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and the country witnessed how quickly political competition could descend into ethnic conflict.  

Amnesty International Kenya is an integral part of a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. Registered in Kenya and affiliated with Amnesty International, the organisation has been at the forefront of promoting and protecting human rights for all.

JOB TITLE: Equality & Anti Program Discrimination Intern

For over a decade, Kenyans have buried protesters, treated life-changing injuries and watched cycles of violence repeat on our streets and in our communities. A new draft Freedom of Assembly Bill offers a chance to break this pattern. What does it get right, where does it depart from previous bills, and what must be strengthened to ensure that demonstrations are protected, not punished?

Post about a breaking news event, share an unverified allegation, or even repeat a rumor in a WhatsApp group, and until this year you could, in theory, have faced up to ten years in prison. That was the potential consequence of Sections 22 and 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which criminalized the publication of “false” information using broad and vaguely defined offences. The provisions cast a long shadow over anyone with access to a phone or the internet. On 6 March, however, the Court of Appeal struck them down. In a case brought by the Bloggers Association of Kenya, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya, Article 19 and others, the court called them so broad they were “like unguided missiles.” 

While elections produce both winners and losers, the real loser in Ol Kalou was not UDA’s candidate but the State itself. Unless Kenya radically reforms its electoral environment, the by-election offers yet another warning of how state conduct is undermining our electoral democracy. What lessons should we draw, and what must change before the 2027 General Election?

NAIROBI, 19 JULY 2026: Amnesty International Kenya strongly condemns the state-sponsored terror, voter suppression, and egregious human rights violations witnessed during the Ol Kalou constituency by-election on 16 July 2026. The deployment of armed, masked gunmen in unmarked vehicles to disrupt democratic processes marks a dangerous regression in Kenya’s constitutional journey.

The Human Rights Digest is Amnesty International Kenya’s regular roundup of the latest human rights developments, analysis, campaigns, and actions from Kenya and beyond.

Nairobi, Kenya | 13 July 2026: We, the undersigned civil society organizations, human rights defenders, citizens, grass roots movements, and champions of accountability, strongly condemn the escalating, coordinated, and lawless campaign of intimidation leveled against The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA), its Executive Director, the entire team, and other Okoa Uchumi Campaign members.

A growing number of cases before Kenya’s courts show that state institutions created to protect our environment and wildlife are enabling their destruction as amendments to critical safeguard laws are introduced. Unless this is changes, the judiciary may be the last line of defence against state-led environmental destruction.