A riot police officer detains a protester during the anti-government demonstrations dubbed the “Saba Saba People’s March” in the Kangemi area of Nairobi, Kenya, on July 7, 2025.
The global alliance of civil society organisations, Civicus, has given Kenya the second-worst rating — 'repressed' — in its assessment of human rights observance.
A watchlist by Civicus on July 30 shows that Kenya has continued to employ brutal tactics to silence dissent, including lethal force, arbitrary arrests and digital surveillance, against citizens who oppose bad governance.
