Kenya: Authorities must address economic grievances driving protests, end repressive tactics
Kenyan authorities have increasingly used authoritarian tactics, including arbitrary arrests and detention, abductions, malicious prosecution of protesters, surveillance, and media repression, to crack down on protests against deepening economic hardship and the government’s aggressive fiscal policies, Amnesty International said in a new report today.
The report, “Human Rights Under Siege: Unpacking Authoritarian Practices in an Era of Economic Pressure amid Youth-Led Protests in Kenya”, documents how between 2023 and 2025, increased food and transport costs, levies and tax hikes, high public debt, corruption, rising poverty and inequality, as well as broken electoral promises led to public anger and protests.
“The findings of this report are troubling and paint a stark picture of the Kenyan government’s repressive response to real grievances affecting the day-to-day lives of ordinary people,” said George Morara, Amnesty International Kenya’s Executive Director.