Nairobi, 12 May 2025: Federation of International Women Lawyers, The Constitution and Reform Education Consortium-Kenya, Siasa Place, Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), Baraza Media Lab, Transparency International Kenya and Amnesty International Kenya met with His Excellency Alexander Stubb, the President of the Republic of Finland, First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb and Senior Officials of the Government of Finland.

Kenya has witnessed a surge in civic action, from nationwide protests to grassroots movements demanding accountability and justice. But how do we transform public dissent into concrete policy changes? Join us for a compelling discussion on Protests to Policy: How Can Kenya Restore Human Rights and Integrity?

Madam President, members of the Council and the Law Society of Kenya. Amnesty International Kenya is very pleased and honored to offer keynote remarks at the Law Society gala dinner to honor advocates who provided legal representation to protesters.  

A day before President Ruto launched new terms and conditions for the police, prisons and national youth service on Wednesday this week, Police officers chose to riot and rampage uninvited through the Multi-Media University of Kenya. If the last three months were not enough of a poisoned cup for Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja, who assumed office on Thursday, his new appointment could just tarnish four decades of his career if he is not careful.

On behalf of the Kenya Union of Journalists, Bloggers Association of Kenya, Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union, the Kenya Medical Association, Missing Voices Alliance and the Police Reforms Working Group, we award this certificate of appreciation to all Law Society of Kenya advocates who provided legal representation to Kenyans unfairly arrested or abducted for expressing their constitutional right to assembly and free expression.

Nairobi, 8 August 2024: The Law Society of Kenya and Police Reforms Working Group’s attention has been drawn to media reports showing people masked and armed with large wooden batons on 6 August 2024 in Kapsabet town and elsewhere threatening to violently disrupt any form of gathering. The reports and videos seen by the Working Group indicate that the armed group intend to prevent planned protests against poor service by the Nandi County Government.

The #RejectFinanceBill hashtag was tweeted four million times on X, attracting the attention of people nationally and globally. The hashtag entailed information on citizens’ demands on political accountability, civic education on various governance issues, calls for the release of citizens who have been unlawfully arrested or abducted, and community self-organizing on peaceful protests to take place. Interacting with these social media posts every time someone is on social media has stirred emotions and actions that have portrayed citizens’ awakening on various governance issues. A common phrase in Kenya right now is that every Kenyan has become an activist.

After a five-month delay, the Reverend Mutava Musyimi-led Taskforce formed to recommend more effective ways of regulating religious extremism submitted its report to President Ruto this week. Disappointingly, the report offers few fresh ideas.

Are Kenyans able to break the cycle of repetitive compulsion and seize this national moment to transform systemic issues that have festered and finally burst? Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud explored the concept of repetitive compulsion a century ago. Repetitive compulsion is the unconscious tendency of a person to repeat their response to a past traumatic event expecting new consequences. Rather than analyze what has happened and choose how to respond, individuals hit repeat. The concept can be applied to our national behaviour today.

20th July 2024: For decades, Civil Society Organizations in Kenya have been the backbone of our nation, tirelessly safeguarding democratic values and principles, amplifying the voices of vulnerable communities, promoting transparency and accountability, and ensuring the rights of all Kenyans are upheld. Their contributions have been instrumental in our nation’s growth and stability, and their efforts have consistently upheld the principles of justice and democracy.

Nairobi, 17 July 2024: The Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG-K) acknowledges the resignation of the Inspector General of the National Police Service, Japhet Koome, amid the several cases of deaths, serious injuries and abductions in the context of the protests that began as Anti-Finance Bill protests. These protests were marked by several cases of human rights violations by the National Police Service (NPS), including extra-judicial killings, abductions, torture and other ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrests.

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