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.

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.

Tuesday, 15th July 2025 | Nairobi, Kenya: The Police Reforms Working Group expresses deep concern over the widespread human rights violations and loss of life that occurred during the July 7, 2025, Saba Saba Day protests. These events, symbolic of Kenya’s hard-won democratic gains, were marred by state violence, unlawful policing tactics, and systemic impunity.

JUNE 2025

NAIROBI, Monday, July 7, 2025: Saba Saba Day symbolises our nation’s enduring struggle for democracy, civil liberties and political reform. On 7 July 1990, Kenyans across six towns took to the streets to demand free elections and an end to the authoritarian practices of the one-party state. Police killed 20, arrested and charged 1,056 people.

By tabling the Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2025, ODM Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has stirred another national beehive. Critics argue the bill curtails the right to assembly, and youth are not threatening to ‘salimia’ her and MPs who support it. With fresh protests planned for Saba Saba Day on Monday, 7 July, what are the bill’s merits and drawbacks?

Nairobi, Wednesday, June 25, 2025: The Law Society of Kenya, Police Reforms Working Group and the Kenya Medical Association express condolences to the families of the eight protesters who were killed today. At least 400 others were treated, with 83 of them referred to specialized treatment for serious injuries. At least eight protesters have been treated for gunshot wounds. Three of the injured include police officers. While these figures are confirmed by medics and human rights defenders, sadly, the exact figures may only be known in the course of time.

Nairobi, Wednesday, June 25, 2025: The Law Society of Kenya, Police Reforms Working Group and Kenya Medical Association express grave concern over the directive by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) directing Kenyan media houses to cease live broadcasts of ongoing protests, citing violations of Article 33(2) of the Kenyan Constitution.

Tomorrow marks one year since the historic #OccupyParliament protest shook the nation’s conscience. As Kenyans prepare to take to the streets again this June 25th, peacefully and within their constitutional right, it is not just a protest. It is a mirror held up to the National Police Service (NPS), a test of whether it serves the Constitution or cowers to political masters.

Tuesday’s street anarchy in Nairobi had me scrambling for dusty copies of the Commission on Inquiry, Ransley and Kriegler reports on 2007/2008 Post Election Violence. Within 72 hours, key figures accused of coordinating the mayhem had criticised the violence, some instigators had apologised, and several national and international voices had condemned the six hours of carnage. What happened to rapidly de-escalate the situation?

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.

One of Kenya’s most famous freedom writers Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (87) died on Wednesday 28 May. As tributes from diverse quarters flood our timelines, I found myself reflecting on his relevance for our lives today.