Human Rights Under Siege: Authoritarian Practices and Economic Pressure Amid Youth-let Protests in Kenya
This report focuses on the human rights violations that occurred during the economically induced protests in Kenya between 2023 and 2025. Thousands of mostly young people took to the streets and digital platforms to demand accountability, inclusion in fiscal matters and economic justice. However, instead of addressing the root causes of the protests, the Kenyan government increasingly repressed dissent through authoritarian practices such as arbitrary arrests and detention, unlawful surveillance and restriction of civic space. The report seeks to debunk and weaken the authoritarian narratives used to justify repression against protesters, activists and the media and makes a number of recommendations to the relevant government agencies as well as to Kenya’s development partners and the African Union.