Nairobi, 21 September 2024: Fellow activists, friends, and defenders of human rights. Today, we stand here as fellow Kenyans outraged by the ongoing tragedy in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Livestreamed into all our homes, we are witnessing the staggering loss of Palestinian lives and a relentless assault on the universal values that bind us together as a global family.
Amnesty International and numerous human rights activists have made it clear on numerous occasions. The time has come to pull the plug on the political and economic systems that enable Israel’s crimes. We must demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, the unlawful occupation, and the apartheid system that denies Palestinians the most basic of rights.
Let us be clear today. This is not just a distant conflict. It is the primary test of our own commitment to justice, to international law, and to the values enshrined in the Kenyan Constitution. The International Court of Justice has found a real and imminent risk of genocide. The United Nations has called for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories and for the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. Yet, despite these clear rulings and the growing diplomatic consensus among experts and states, Israel, the United States of America and multinational companies continue to block all efforts for peace, for dignity and for accountability.
As Kenyans, we are familiar with the pain of injustice. We know the cost of silence. Our own history teaches us that justice only breathes when we act. When we, as citizens, raise our voices, when we organise, and when we refuse to be complicit. So, what must we do? First, we must demand that our government, our public institutions, and our companies live up to their legal obligations under international law. No more business as usual with those who profit from occupation and apartheid. No more silence in the face of genocide.
Amnesty International Kenya calls on the Kenyan Government to issue clear statements condemning all violations of international law in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. Our New York and Geneva Missions must consistently vote for United Nations resolutions that call for an end to hostilities, protection of civilians, accountability for war crimes, and the realisation of the two-state solution. Our Addis Mission must work with the African Union, Arab League, and other international partners to build a unified African position that supports the self-determination of the Palestinian people and the sustainable implementation of the two-state solution.
As civic organisations and citizens, we must educate and mobilise our communities. Let us use our platforms, our networks, and our collective power to amplify Voices for Palestinians and hold those in power accountable. Our struggle is interconnected. The fight for Palestinian rights is the fight for human dignity everywhere. It is the fight against impunity, against racism, and against the normalisation of state violence. Let us stand together, in solidarity, and pull the plug on the systems that enable these crimes against humanity.
For justice. For humanity. For Palestine.
Signed
Irungu Houghton
Amnesty International Section Director
For more information and interviews, contact Mathias T. Kinyoda
Mobile: +254723424802 | Email: [email protected]
Further related material
- 18 September 2025 Amnesty International report on 15 multi-national companies making a killing from the genocide in Gaza
- The 16 September UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory finding that 4 out of 5 conditions for determining crimes against humanity have been perpetuated by the State of Israel.
- For more background on the critical diplomatic, political and public interest context ahead of the United General Assembly