- US report links Ruto’s government to serious human rights abuses.
- 2024 Gen Z protests saw killings, disappearances, and torture.
- At least 60 protesters were killed, and nearly 200 were injured.
- Journalists faced harassment and intimidation.
- Washington says impunity remains across government agencies.
The United States has sharply criticised President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of overseeing a major drop in human rights standards in 2024. The claims are in the latest US State Department human rights report, which lists unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and suppression of media freedom, especially during the Gen Z protests.
The report says June and July 2024 saw the worst abuses, when nationwide demonstrations against a controversial finance bill turned into wider anti-government protests. KNCHR recorded 60 deaths. IPOA reported 50 deaths and nearly 200 injuries, blaming excessive police force.
Rights monitors documented 82 cases of abductions or enforced disappearances since June, with 29 people still missing. Many victims were allegedly seized by masked men in plain clothes despite a High Court order banning police from hiding their identity during protests.
Some freed protesters told investigators they were warned against posting anything protest-related online.
The US report accuses police and prison officers of using beatings, painful restraints, and even electric shocks on detainees. It also says impunity remains rampant in security agencies, with abusive officers often “punished” through simple transfers.
Washington also flagged transnational repression, including the forced return of Ugandan opposition activists from Kisumu in July. The November abduction of veteran politician Kizza Besigye from Nairobi to Kampala.
Journalists were not spared; at least 24 incidents of harassment or assault were recorded during the protests, some happening live on air.
While acknowledging some steps taken to address abuses, the US concluded that Kenya still suffers from systemic impunity, warning that without change, such violations are likely to continue.
