Kenyan authorities have increasingly used authoritarian tactics, including arbitrary arrests and detention, abductions, malicious prosecution of protesters, surveillance, and media repression, to crack down on protests against deepening economic hardship and the government’s aggressive fiscal policies, Amnesty International said in a new report today.
The report,
“
Human Rights Under Siege: Unpacking Authoritarian Practices in an Era of Economic Pressure amid Youth-Led Protests in Kenya”
,
documents how between 2023 and 2025, increased food and transport costs, levies and tax hikes, high public debt, corruption, rising poverty and inequality, as well as broken electoral promises led to public anger and protests.
“The findings of this report are troubling and paint a stark picture of the Kenyan government’s repressive response to real grievances affecting the day-to-day lives of ordinary people,” said George Morara, Amnesty International Kenya’s Executive Director.
“The state’s attempts to divert attention away from its failure to address its human rights obligations have not worked. Authorities must address the economic grievances underpinning the protests, end the escalating crackdown on dissent, and ensure accountability for human rights violations during the 2023 to 2025 economic and tax related protests.”
The findings of this report are troubling and paint a stark picture of the Kenyan government’s repressive response to real grievances affecting the day-to-day lives of ordinary people.
George Morara, Executive Director, Amnesty International, Kenya
Between April and July 2026, Amnesty International researchers interviewed 102 people, including protesters, lawyers, a medic, journalists, government officials, social media influencers, and civil society activists. The organization also reviewed Hansard reports, budgets, and tax policies for the period 2023-2025.
Amnesty International conveyed the findings to the relevant government agencies. How
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