US raises alarm over Kenya’s human rights record
The United States has voiced concern over what it terms a sharp decline in Kenya’s human rights situation over the past year, linking it to abuses committed during the youth-led “Gen Z” demonstrations in mid-2024.
In its latest Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, the U.S. Department of State accused the government of President William Ruto of being responsible for multiple violations, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, and suppression of media freedoms.
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According to the report, the June and July protests, initially sparked by opposition to proposed tax measures in the Finance Bill, quickly evolved into a wider anti-government movement after the legislation was withdrawn.
“Kenya experienced a deterioration in the human rights situation during the year,” the report read. “In response to nationwide protests in June and July, authorities reportedly committed numerous abuses, including physical violence and detentions.”
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) documented 60 deaths related to the protests, while the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) placed the figure at 50 deaths and 199 injuries, attributing most of the casualties to excessive police force.
Disappearances and heavy-handed policing
The report notes a wave of enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests targeting demonstrators and political dissenters. It cites the use of plainclothes, masked officers in operations, despite a High Court ruling prohibiting police from concealing their identities during protests.
By December 2024, KNCHR had recorded 82 cases of abductions or enforced disappearances since the protests began, with 29 people still unaccounted for. Some of those who reappeared alleged they were warned by individuals believed to be police officers not to share protest-related content online.
The State Department further points to prolonged detentions without charge, in breach of constitutional safeguards that require suspects to be arraigned within 24 hours. Rights groups also reported that detainees were often denied access to family members and legal counsel unless bribes were paid.
Human rights organisations told the U.S. that security forces and prison officials used torture during interrogations and as punishment, with reported methods including beatings, stress positions, and electric shocks.
The report accuses the Kenyan government of failing to acknowledge or investigate these violations, with no police officers held accountable for abuses committed during the Gen Z protests.
