Kenya saw serious human rights challenges in 2025, with deadly protests, assaults on journalists, and targeted arrests of online activists, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported in its World Report 2026.
The review, covering conditions in 100 countries, points to persistent impunity for security officers and restrictions on press freedom, putting civil and political rights at risk.
The report states that more than 65 people died and over 400 were injured during anti-government demonstrations last year. HRW said plain-clothed officers were allegedly involved in abductions, torture, and in some cases, shooting at protesters, as captured in videos shared online.
Online activists faced arrests under cybercrime and terrorism laws, while journalists reporting on demonstrations were subjected to physical attacks, according to HRW.
“Several factors prompted continued protests in 2025 – outrage at the previous year’s tax hikes given a lack of accountability for government spending, the death in custody of blogger Albert Ojwang in June, and the commemoration of the 2024 protests in June,” the report reads.
The report highlights the lack of accountability for abuses by security officers.
“Kenyan authorities have not investigated or prosecuted security forces in most cases of excessive and lethal force during protests from 2023 to 2025,” HRW said.
It also recalls a joint study by HRW and Amnesty International in November 2024, which found no investigations or prosecutions of police officers or government officials involved in the deaths of at least 31 people during the 2023 cost-of-living protests.
Misuse of public resources also remains a concern. Despite higher contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and a housing levy, many Kenyans still struggle to access essential health services.
“Hospital workers and other experts have also said that, despite contributions to the Social Health Authority (SHA) increasing more than ten times since SHA’s establishment, patients continued to be unable to afford or access health services,” HRW said.
Audit reports showed hospitals linked to influential individuals mismanaged funds meant for health services, the report noted.
HRW raised concerns over the government’s slow handling of gender-based violence. In January 2025, a 42-member Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence, including femicide, was formed after a record number of femicides in 2024. The group was tasked with reviewing laws and policies to improve institutional responses.
“In August, it briefed the deputy president and prepared to present to the president. The report remains unpublished, and its future policy impact is unclear,” HRW said, while acknowledging Kenya’s enactment of a new Persons with Disabilities Act in May 2025.
Overall, the report shows a country struggling with unchecked abuses, weak oversight of public funds, and slow action on critical social issues, leaving citizens vulnerable and fueling public unrest.
