DEFENDERS COALITION CONDEMNS PERSISTENT VIOLENT ATTACKS ON CIVIC ACTORS BY ARMED AND UNIDENTIFIED GROUPS
On behalf of the human rights defenders’ community and the civil society in Kenya, the Defenders Coalition which is the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Kenya is concerned with the persistent coordinated attacks on the civil society, HRDs and staff of human rights organizations by armed and unidentified groups.
On 12 June 2026, over 100 citizens including the staff of the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Transparency International – Kenya, The Institute for Social Accountability, human rights defenders and members of the public were attacked while holding public forum to discuss the 2026-2027 national budget that was presented on 11 June 2026 at the National Assembly. The meeting was being held at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
This latest incident is indicative of a broader, systemic campaign targeting civic actors in Kenya. On 11 June 2026, four (4) law enforcement officers reportedly staged an unlawful entry into the Mathare Social Justice Center (MSJC) premises, issuing threats against the Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) on site. The MSJC team was organizing the launch of their their publication. The publication documents the growth of liberation movements and resistance to punitive fiscal policies and governance structures that perpetuate socio-economic marginalization and systemic rights violations against vulnerable groups including workers, women, and youth of Kenya.
Similarly, on July 6, 2025, a peaceful press briefing convened by mothers of police brutality victims at the KHRC offices was violently disrupted. Armed, masked individuals carrying clubs overpowered private security and breached the facility. CCTV footage captured the assailants assaulted HRDs, destroying property, stealing valuables, ordering the immediate evacuation of the premises and issuing threats to suppress civic actions that were planned for July 7, 2025. Despite a formal police report and the submission of comprehensive evidence to law enforcement, no suspects have been apprehended.
It is worth noting that during the nationwide street demonstrations in 2025, human rights monitors observed numerous masked individuals in civilian clothing traveling in unmarked vehicles alongside police officers. In multiple counties, including Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, and Eldoret, these individuals wielded whips, machetes, and wooden clubs, operating concurrently with the police to assault, intimidate, and arbitrarily detain protestors and civil society actors trying to document violations or take part in the demonstrations.
The attacks are highly coordinated ploys to harass intimidate and subdue the voice of civil society when they are conducting their lawful work.
The Defenders Coalition is gravely concerned that these incidents have a far-reaching impact on the work, safety and security of HRDs. The insecurity, if not nippeded in the bud, it risks plunging the country into a lawless state. Given the current precarious state of human rights in Kenya, we urge all citizens, the government, and international partners to demand the protection of human rights and frontline defenders especially in the lead up to the 2027 general elections. We must all remain vigilant to ensure that those on the front lines are safely able to promote and protect our fundamental freedoms.
Signed
Defenders Coalition