Amnesty International’s latest report, The State of the World’s Human Rights (2026), paints a deeply troubling picture of the human rights situation in Kenya, documenting a significant deterioration in 2025 marked by repression, inequality, and growing impunity.
The report reveals a sustained crackdown on the right to protest, with security forces repeatedly using unlawful and lethal force against demonstrators. Dozens of people were killed during nationwide protests, including youth-led movements demanding accountability and economic justice, while hundreds were injured, arbitrarily arrested, or forcibly disappeared.
Freedom of expression and media freedom came under severe attack. Journalists, human rights defenders, and activists were targeted through arrests, intimidation, surveillance, and censorship. Authorities went as far as ordering media houses to halt live coverage of protests, while new and proposed laws expanded surveillance powers, posing serious threats to privacy and digital rights.
The report also highlights a worrying rise in extrajudicial killings and entrenched impunity. Victims, including protesters and ordinary citizens, were killed in police operations, often with little to no accountability. Despite isolated progress in a few cases, systemic justice for victims remains elusive.
Beyond civil and political rights, the report underscores worsening economic and social conditions. Rising inequality, limited social protection, and failures in the healthcare system left many Kenyans unable to access essential services. The introduction of new health financing systems further restricted access to care, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Gender-based violence, including femicide, reached alarming levels, while state responses remained inadequate. At the same time, cuts in donor funding undermined refugee support programmes, increasing food insecurity and hardship in refugee camps.
Globally, the report points to a dangerous backsliding of human rights across regions, with governments increasingly resorting to repression to silence dissent and consolidate power. Armed conflicts, climate injustice, and economic shocks continued to disproportionately impact the most vulnerable, while international accountability mechanisms remained weak or selectively applied. From restrictions on protest and expression to rising inequality and displacement, the global picture reflects a world where human rights protections are being steadily eroded.
Amnesty International Kenya is calling on the Kenyan authorities to urgently end the use of excessive force against protesters, uphold freedom of expression, and ensure accountability for all human rights violations. The government must also take concrete steps to address economic inequality, strengthen social protection systems, and protect the rights and dignity of all people. Amnesty International
