Protesters sit amid teargas while waving Kenyan flags during the Saba Saba demonstrations in Nairobi on July 7th, 2025. (Photo/AFP).
By Daisy Okiring
Nairobi, Kenya| July 10, 2025
A new report by ARTICLE 19, a global freedom of expression watchdog, warns that Kenya is experiencing an escalating and deliberate pattern of repression aimed at silencing dissent and dismantling civic space. The findings follow youth-led nationwide demonstrations on June 25 and the Saba Saba commemorations on July 7, which were met with arbitrary arrests, excessive police force, and media censorship.
ARTICLE 19, which monitors threats to freedom of expression and protest, said the state’s heavy-handed response — including the deployment of police roadblocks, use of live ammunition, deportations of rights defenders, and attempts to block media coverage — marks a disturbing reversal of the democratic gains won since the 1990s.
“This is not about crowd control. This is a coordinated attack on constitutionally protected freedoms,” said Mugambi Kiai, Eastern Africa Regional Director of ARTICLE 19.
Saba Saba hijacked by repression
Saba Saba, historically a day to honor the 1990 pro-democracy protests that ushered in multiparty rule, has become a flashpoint for Kenya’s growing political crisis. This year, peaceful protests turned into scenes of intimidation, as authorities shut down major entry points into Nairobi and deployed heavily armed security officers across the city.
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The disruptions not only brought public transportation, destruction of properties, and businesses to a halt, but signaled a broader move by the state to pre-emptively neutralize civic engagement. Protesters, mainly Gen Z youth, had gathered to raise alarm over government corruption, economic hardship, and what they described as a “shrinking space for being heard.”
In the days leading up to July 7, incidents of state intimidation increased. On July 5, a staff member of the Kenya Human Rights Commission was deported to Uganda despite holding a valid work permit. A day later, unidentified men forcibly stormed the KHRC offices in Nairobi and violently interrupted a press conference organized by mothers of protest victims. The event aimed to spotlight arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and extrajudicial killings that had occurred in the lead-up to Saba Saba.
“These actions represent not only harassment but a deliberate attempt to dismantle human rights work in Kenya,” ARTICLE 19 noted.
Protests met with force and censorship
The recent Saba Saba demonstrations followed similar youth-led protests on June 25, marking one year since the fatal anti-Finance Bill rallies of 2024. Then, as now, protesters were met with a violent crackdown. According to ARTICLE 19’s report and corroborating human rights accounts, police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and in several instances, live fire. At least eight people were killed by gunshots.
In addition to the 31 deaths, more than 100 people were injured and about 532 arrested in the protests which hit the capital Nairobi and other major cities, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). Also journalists covering the events faced state interference. The Communications Authority of Kenya ordered broadcasters to cease live transmission of the protests, citing violations of constitutional content restrictions. When TV stations NTV, KTN, and K24 continued airing protest coverage, their free-to-air signals were deactivated without warning.
Although the High Court later ordered the restoration of broadcast signals following a legal challenge by the Law Society of Kenya and civil society organizations, ARTICLE 19 condemned the move as both unconstitutional and a violation of press freedom. The incident echoed a similar interference that had been ruled unlawful in a 2024 High Court decision, raising concerns about state disregard for judicial authority.
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“The Kenyan government is not only violating constitutional rights but also defying court orders meant to uphold them,” said a Nairobi-based legal expert familiar with the petition.
The human toll of dissent
Perhaps the most devastating moment of the recent protests was the death of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly posting critical remarks online. The complaint was reportedly filed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat. Ojwang’s unexplained death sparked national outrage, with protesters demanding accountability from top security officials.
During the #JusticeForAlbertOjwang protests in Nairobi, a street vendor, Boniface Kariuki, was shot at close range by police. The incident was captured on video and widely circulated, further inflaming public anger.
Multiple reports from the Nairobi protests also suggest coordinated attacks by unidentified men riding motorbikes and wielding crude weapons. The men allegedly assaulted peaceful protesters while police simultaneously launched tear gas. Witnesses claim the attackers operated with impunity and appeared to be working alongside law enforcement — a claim that, if substantiated, could point to a disturbing alliance between security forces and vigilante actors.
“These are not rogue incidents. They are part of a larger strategy to criminalize protest and terrify people into silence,” said one activist who spoke to ARTICLE 19 on condition of anonymity.
A generation under threat
The recent wave of protests, largely organized by young Kenyans through social media, underscores a generational shift in political engagement. Kenya’s Gen Z is demanding accountability in new, disruptive ways — using digital tools to organize, document abuses, and push back against government overreach.
But the risks are escalating. In addition to physical violence and arrest, young protesters now face coordinated online harassment, surveillance, and intimidation.
“We are constantly looking over our shoulders,” said a 21-year-old student protester. “But we refuse to be silenced. This is our future.”
ARTICLE 19’s report draws parallels between the current moment and the authoritarian tactics used in the pre-2002 era. The organization warns that if left unchecked, the state’s repression of civic expression could unravel the democratic institutions hard-won by Kenya’s reform movements.
While Kenya’s 2010 Constitution guarantees the rights to peaceful assembly and expression, recent events suggest a government increasingly willing to disregard these protections in the name of public order.
“We are witnessing the return of the strong-arm state — only now it’s hiding behind legalese and media blackouts,” said Mugambi Kiai.
ARTICLE 19 has renewed its call for independent investigations into the deaths and abuses documented during the June and July protests. The group’s #FreeToProtest campaign advocates for public order policies grounded in constitutional accountability and proportionality — rather than intimidation and brute force.
“The ability to protest is not a privilege granted by the state,” the report concludes. “It is a fundamental right — one that must be protected, not punished.”
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