Willis Otieno condemns govt over attack on KHRC press conference
Kenyan lawyer and political commentator Willis Otieno has criticised the government following a violent disruption of a press conference organised by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) ahead of the Saba Saba demonstrations.
The press conference, which took place on Sunday, July 6, 2025, at the KHRC offices on Amboseli Road in Nairobi, was disrupted by armed individuals. The attackers stormed the venue, scattering the attendees and bringing the briefing to a chaotic end.
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Reacting to the incident via his official X account on Sunday, July 6, 2025, Otieno decried what he described as a systematic and deliberate effort by the state to stifle dissent and suppress freedoms of expression and assembly.
He said the regime had adopted increasingly repressive tactics, moving from interfering with political rallies to now targeting peaceful gatherings, such as demonstrations and press conferences.
He described the incident as an escalation in state-sponsored attempts to silence civic engagement and instil fear among citizens and human rights defenders.
“We will not tolerate a regime that treats citizens like enemies and uses hired muscle to enforce silence. What began with disrupting political rallies has now evolved into storming peaceful demonstrations, crashing press conferences, and violently silencing civic engagement,” Otieno said.
Goons attack
The press conference had been organised by a group of Kenyan mothers who wanted to speak out against arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings targeting protesters.
The women had called the media to raise these concerns ahead of the Saba Saba protest scheduled for Monday, July 7, 2025.
Shortly after the attack, the Women’s Collective Kenya confirmed the incident through their official X account.
“URGENT ALERT: Armed goons have attacked the offices of the Kenya Human Rights Commission @thekhrc, where a press conference was due to be held this afternoon by Kenyan mothers on the eve of Saba Saba,” the statement read.
According to the group, the attack was a deliberate effort to intimidate women who were peacefully exercising their right to assemble and speak out against injustice.
The KHRC had earlier issued a notice announcing a change of venue for the press briefing. Originally planned to be held at All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi, the press conference was moved to KHRC’s offices for safety reasons.
“NOTE: The venue has been changed from All Saints’ Cathedral to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), 849 Amboseli Road, Off Gitanga Road,” the notice said.
Despite the precaution, the attackers still managed to locate the new venue and violently disrupt the event.
In a separate statement, KHRC explained the purpose of the press conference.
“Ahead of the Saba Saba protests on Monday, July 7, 2025, Kenyan mothers are demanding an immediate end to the arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of their children for taking to the streets,” the commission said.
