Ongoing protests across Kenya have raised deep concerns about children’s rights to education, safety, and well-being. The Ministries of Education and Interior and National Administration announced the closure of all day primary and secondary schools in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, temporarily halting education for thousands of children.
Map of Kenya showing Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa
Impact on Education
Save the Children expressed deep concern that such disruptions of learning could reverse the gains made in the education sector, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic that saw millions of children missing out on the much needed education. Despite the promise to reopen the schools on Thursday (20th July, 2023) upon assessment of the security situation.
Kenneth Sisimwo, Director of Programme Operations, Save the Children Kenya and Madagascar, stated, “While we appreciate the measures the government is undertaking to ensure children’s safety, we are aware that an impasse between the parties involved could mean that more children across the country are denied their basic right to safety and education. These rights should be safeguarded at all costs.” Save the Children is calling upon all the parties involved to take action to protect children’s inalienable right to safe access to a quality education.
Kenyan students
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Background of the Protests
Civil society groups in Kenya have called for nationwide anti-government protests, amid rising concerns about police brutality and the government’s track record on governance. There is palpable anger against the government. On 25 June, protests took place in 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties despite the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja warning on 24 June that no protests were authorised. 16 people were killed and more than 400 people injured in clashes between police and protesters, according to Amnesty International.
On 25 June, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) ordered local media to stop live coverage of protests. Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat on 16 June “stepped aside” pending an investigation into the death of Albert Ojwang, a political blogger, in police custody on 14 June. Civil society activists and opposition leaders will likely use the latest incidents of police brutality to organise anti-government demonstrations in the coming month.
Government Response and Political Dynamics
The president must tread a careful line. On one hand, he will need to show that he will take the human rights situation seriously and come out strongly against security forces’ excessive use of force. On the other hand, blaming the police entirely for the alleged abuses is tricky: Ruto will need their support to contain any unrest.
The idea that Ruto should only serve one term as president, popularised by his now-impeached former deputy president (2022-24), Rigathi Gachagua, will continue to gain traction. The administration’s poor reputation is putting strain on the Kenya Kwanza coalition and its partnership with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). On 15 June, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna called for a review of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the ODM and Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
UDA and wider Kenya Kwanza coalition politicians have so far aligned with Ruto’s position on the police brutality issue, which is that this is a problem with individuals within the police rather than a systemic institutional issue. However, some may sense political vulnerability. These dynamics will set up a battle for the youth vote in the coming months. Ruto will be keen to demonstrate his credentials on this front, with his recent speeches and programmes appearing geared toward that goal.
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Socioeconomic Factors
In the 2025-26 budget, Ruto reaffirmed the government’s commitment to social sectors, allocating the largest share of the budget to education and significant amounts to housing, agriculture and the creative economy. While the statistics paint a more positive picture, the reality on the ground feels far gloomier. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Standards (KNBS), the majority of new jobs created in the past year have been in the informal sector, which is characterised by lower-paying roles and short-term contractual arrangements.
Future Outlook
Politicking for the 2027 elections will begin to dominate politicians’ agendas prematurely in the coming months. The Kenya Kwanza coalition may become increasingly divided, particularly if the current government's plans and programmes fail to attract the interest of young people. There is already some scepticism about the flagship Kazi Mtaani programme, which would offer only short-term employment opportunities in lower-skilled roles.
Should politicians increasingly view Ruto as a liability to their futures, they may vocally oppose the president in public and in the legislature. The current political and socioeconomic climate also portends further civil unrest. We do not expect widespread unrest around the anniversary of the storming of parliament. However, the focus on the human rights record of the administration will likely prompt periodic and sizeable protests in major urban areas, particularly Nairobi.
Despite the current scrutiny, state security forces remain likely to respond heavy-handedly to any unrest. Clashes between security forces and demonstrators will fuel localised operational disruption and incidental security threats to personnel in transit. Awareness of political, country and economic risks underpin your organisation’s ability to protect value and mitigate shocks.
President says he is focused on economic growth and political stability
Human Rights Violations During Protests
During opposition-led protests between March and July 2023, hundreds of Kenyans, including protesters, bystanders, schoolchildren, and others, suffered violations of their human rights. These violations include extrajudicial killings, life-changing injuries and impairments, torture and other ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrests and detentions, at the hands of Kenyan police during the protests.
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The "Maandamano" report finds that the police killed at least 31 people and injured hundreds more during the May to July 2023 protests. In March 2023, Odinga called for nationwide protests citing the increasing cost of living under President Ruto’s administration. He said the administration's policies left thousands of Kenyans struggling to access goods and services essential to their rights, including food, health care, housing, and education.
The government initially responded to the largely peaceful protests with hostile rhetoric and threats, terming the protests as illegal and protesters as “terrorists.” The police forcibly dispersed protesters and resorted to unnecessary and excessive force. Protests resumed in July following the enactment of the Finance Act (2023), which according to the opposition, exacerbated the already difficult economic situation for many Kenyans.
This report is based on 226 interviews conducted across 10 of Kenya’s 47 counties, namely Nairobi, Nakuru, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Machakos, Makueni, Siaya, and Kisumu. Based on witness interviews, credible media reports, medical records, and photos, the report finds that between March and July 2023, at least 31 people were killed due to police use of unnecessary or excessive force, involving both lethal ammunition and so-called less-lethal ammunition such as rubber bullets.
Key Findings:
- 26 people were shot (24 men and 2 women)
- 2 children died following police use of tear gas in residential areas
- 3 men beaten to death by police
- Hundreds sustained serious injuries from shootings, beatings, and cuts from machetes and knives
One hundred and twenty-two cases of assault by police were reported and treated at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu during the month of July alone. Separately, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), said on October 29, in response to a letter from Amnesty International Kenya and Human Rights Watch seeking comment that they had investigated 67 cases of people killed during the protests between March and July 2023.
Police also used unnecessary physical force, conducted illegal home searches, and unlawfully used tear gas against protesters, bystanders, children, and individuals in their homes, businesses and on the streets. Hundreds of children were teargassed at Kihumbuini, Bethany Joy, and Free Methodist primary schools in Nairobi as police clashed with protesters near and around the schools. During such raids, the police beat two brothers, Brian and William Amulele, in Nyalenda who later succumbed to their injuries. They also shot John Owiti while he was in the restroom of his home in Nyalenda who later died from these injuries in hospital.
Police also violently attacked protesters using canes and rungus (wooden batons), which resulted in serious blunt force injuries and even death in at least three cases. They also hit, kicked, and slapped people including during arrests and in custody.
Lack of Accountability
Kenya has a poor track record of holding the police and other security forces accountable for human rights violations. Despite media reports, statements from civil society organizations and witness accounts detailing police abuses during the nationwide protests, the Inspector General of Police denied police responsibility and involvement in the killing of protesters and accused the Azimio la Umoja alliance of stage-managing the deaths.
Some survivors and families of victims of abuses reported being turned away from police stations when they attempted to record statements or secure the required Police Occurrence Book (OB) numbers. At the time of writing this report, neither IPOA, the Internal Affairs Unit of the police, nor the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) have publicly issued updates on the progress of investigations they had launched into police abuses during the protests.
In August 2023, Parliament set up a National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) comprising leaders from Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja to hear and receive public memoranda on issues of national concern. The dialogue committee did not make any recommendations relating to accountability measures for the unlawful use of force by the police. To date, not a single police officer has been prosecuted for the killings and other serious violations documented in this report.
Violations of Rights
Amnesty International Kenya and Human Rights Watch found that the Kenyan authorities violated the rights under Kenya’s constitution and regional and international human rights law to life, freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, human dignity, peaceful assembly, and free expression. The organizations also found that the rights to freedom of conscience and opinion, freedom of expression, and the rights to health, livelihood, and property, protected under the Kenyan Constitution and international human rights law, were also violated by the Kenyan police.
Recommendations
The Kenyan government should ensure accountability for the violations documented in this report to affirm its commitment to the rule of law and rebuild public trust in its ability to protect rights, appropriately punish abusers, and create a fair and just society. It should conduct thorough and impartial investigations into violations reported during the March-July 2023 nationwide protests and hold to account those found to have violated human rights.
Given its centrality in addressing police violations of human rights, IPOA should make appropriate recommendations to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for fair trials of those implicated in abuses. The IPOA should also ensure transparency in its operations, including publicly sharing investigation outcomes and providing regular updates on ongoing investigations to families and the public. Police and prosecution authorities should also cooperate with IPOA to execute their mandate, including by facilitating investigations and prosecutions.
While not the focus of this report, our organizations have continued to document the disruption of peaceful protests and the use of unnecessary and excessive force by the Kenyan police throughout 2024. On June 18, protests organized by young Kenyans (commonly referred to as the “Gen Z protests”) began online and in cities and towns across Kenya after the government introduced the Finance Bill 2024.
A protest in Kenya
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