The BBC Africa Eye “Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade” documentary is classic investigative journalism. Given the gravity of the findings and the public call for action to be taken to stop the trade in women and girls, the Interior Cabinet Secretary’s reaction was unexpected. How big a problem does Kenya have, and what could be done to better protect it?
Nairobi,15 August 2025 Amnesty International Kenya is deeply concerned by the remarks by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, terming the BBC Africa Eye, Madams of Mai Mahiu, expose by BBC Africa Eye as a “hoax”. These remarks not only water down the lived experiences of the survivors, but also embolden the perpetrators of child sex trafficking and are a dangerous attempt to discredit and silence legitimate journalism
As we mark the third anniversary of the 2022 General Elections today, Kenya’s governance is fragile and rudderless. Citizens have perfected mass strategies to cancel misgovernance, yet grapple for ways of connecting and charting a way past their disappointment with the current leadership. Navigating the current turbulence will require new state systems to listen and interact with public concerns. A new opportunity has emerged in the Public Participation Bill (2025) currently before the National Assembly.
Amnesty International Kenya is a section of Amnesty International’s global movement of over 10 million members and supporters committed to creating a future where human rights are enjoyed. United by our shared humanity, we know that the power to create positive change is within all of us.
This week, several people arrested during the June-July protests – including boda boda riders, fisherfolk, politicians, and security officers – were charged in Kenya’s counterterrorism Kahawa Law Courts. The Supreme Council of Muslims (SUPKEM) also released its report on how the criminal justice system responds to religious extremism. While these two events may seem unrelated, SUPKEM’s findings shed light on a worrying trend: the growing use of harsh legal measures to silence dissent.
July 2025 was a month marked by courage, crisis, and constitutional reckoning. As Kenyans took to the streets in 20 counties to commemorate Saba Saba and demand accountability, they were met with excessive force, mass arrests, and grave human rights violations—including the deaths of at least 38 people and the charging of hundreds under laws meant for terrorism and capital offences. We witnessed disturbing attacks on peaceful gatherings, erosion of judicial independence, misuse of digital surveillance, and targeted intimidation of human rights defenders. Yet, amid the repression, citizens, civil society, and justice actors stood firm. This edition of the Amnesty Kenya Gazette bears witness to their resistance and renews our call on all state institutions to uphold the Constitution, protect fundamental freedoms, and ensure justice without fear or favour.
Hot on the heels of last week’s policy directive on the use of force and firearms, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) released its extensive report on the June and July public protests this week. This week, the National Council on the Administration of Justice and the Attorney General’s Forum held separate talks to review how Article 37 and the right to assembly could be realised. Could these efforts signal that the season of deadly protests might finally be coming to an end?
Nairobi, 27th July 2025. The Police Reforms Working Group–Kenya (PRWG-K) strongly condemns the enforced disappearance, incommunicado detention, and continued harassment of Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi, as well as the lackluster response from Kenyan authorities, whose agencies, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), met his family’s pleas for assistance with indifference and institutional apathy.
Amnesty International welcomes the news that Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi has been found alive after Mwabili Mwagodi’s enforced disappearance in Tanzania. We salute the public pressure generated by his family, the public, and the leadership of VOCAL Africa and Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri), as well as others.
Nairobi, Kenya July 26, 2025: Amnesty International is deeply alarmed by the reported abduction and disappearance of Kenyan human rights activist Mwabili Mwagodi in Tanzania on Wednesday, 23 July 2025. Mwagodi, known for his outspoken criticism of political influence in religious institutions and his mobilization of youth movements in Kenya, was last seen in Dar es Salaam where he works for a hospitality company. Eyewitnesses confirm he was taken away by unknown persons. All attempts by his family to reach him have since failed. This incident follows a disturbing pattern of cross-border repression of activists in East Africa. Just weeks ago, Kenyan photojournalist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were abducted and tortured while in Tanzania. This case is now before the East African Court of Justice.
Welcome to the second edition of our 2025 Technology and Human Rights digest. This quarter, Amnesty International Kenya continued to lead bold, rights-based advocacy on digital justice, data protection, and economic fairness. From challenging retrogressive laws to empowering communities and amplifying youth voices, we’re building a digital future rooted in equity, transparency, and inclusion.
With close to 1,500 people facing charges of terrorism, murder, robbery with violence, sexual assault and malicious damage, you would be forgiven for thinking Kenya is at war with itself. The last two weeks have seen a shift in police focus from public order and crime to the unprecedented use of anti-terror laws to suppress civil protests. What are the implications of looking at protests, demonstrations and public order through the lens of counterterrorism?