We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Albert Ojwang, who died last night at the Central Police Station in Nairobi.

This edition of the Amnesty Kenya Gazette arrives at a moment of reckoning and resilience. In recent weeks, we have celebrated landmark legal victories—including the ruling against Worldcoin’s illegal data harvesting practices and long-overdue progress in the Baby Pendo case, where officers were finally held accountable for police brutality. These wins serve as reminders that justice, though delayed, can prevail. At the same time, we confront disturbing setbacks: the crackdown on filmmakers, the resurgence of digital surveillance through the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Bill, and the Tanzanian government’s brutal treatment of human rights defenders. In May, we launched two searing reports—Missing Voices 2023 and Locked In, Left Out—exposing the pain of police violence and the harrowing abuse faced by Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia. These truths, though difficult, fuel our collective demand for dignity, accountability, and reform. Through every campaign, court ruling, and act of courage, we continue to protect those whose voices the state seeks to erase.

Amnesty International Kenya aspires to a Kenya where everyone lives with dignity, freedom, and equality, enjoying all constitutional rights and responsibilities. Our 1,500 members, Kenyan board and staff are committed to confronting injustice and human rights violations through research, campaigning, human rights education and public interest litigation. More www.amnestykenya.org

Nairobi, 19 May 2025: Amnesty International is shocked to read the response of the Kenyan Ambassador to Saudia Arabia Mohammed Ruwange to our 12 May 2025 report Saudi Arabia: Locked in, left out: The hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.  

Ukiwa katika nchi kama Saudi Arabia, huna pesa, uko peke yako kwa hivyo huna msaada wowote… Nilikuwa nimefungiwa ndani, kutoka nje haikuruhusiwa. Sijawahi kutoka nje ya nyumba na sikuwahi kuwa na siku ya mapumziko.

Wanawake wa Kenya ambao huajiriwa kufanya kazi za nyumbani Saudi Arabia hulazimika kuvumilia mazingira ya kazi ambayo ni ya kikatili na kibaguzi. Mazingira haya yanaweza kufananishwa na kazi ya kulazimishwa na ulanguzi wa watu, Amnesty International imesema katika ripoti yake. Ripoti hiyo inaangazia namna waajiri wanavyowanyanyasa wanawake hawa majumbani mwao kutokana na mitazamo ya ubaguzi wa rangi, na namna wafanyakazi wa nyumbani wanavyotengwa na sheria ya kazi na mageuzi yanayohusiana na kazi nchini Saudi Arabia.

Nairobi, 13th May 2025: Kenyan women hired as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia endure gruelling, abusive and discriminatory working conditions, which often amount to forced labour and human trafficking, Amnesty International said in a new report. The report highlights how employers subjected the women to extreme exploitation in private homes, often fuelled by racism, and how domestic workers continue to be excluded from Saudi Arabia’s labour law and other limited reforms.

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.

Nairobi, 5 May 2025: Victims’ families, Amnesty International Kenya, Utu Wetu Trust, the International Justice Mission and the Police Reforms Working Group condemn the DPP’s dropping of charges against eight of the twelve police commanders and officers who were initially included the original charge case.

While some attempted to downplay the danger of using state security agencies to muzzle the Butere High School play recently, most recognised the threat it posed to our academic and artistic freedoms. This very issue continues to play out very dramatically in the United States, a country with a long history of academic freedom, in ways we can admire and emulate.

Nearly 400 kilometres apart, the communities of Kibos, Kisumu and Mukuru kwa Njenga, Nairobi had reasons to celebrate this last month. Two separate rulings by the Judiciary remind us that justice may delay, but when it swings in favour of those whose lives have been upended by forced evictions, it is sweet.

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?