Kenya’s human rights landscape in 2025 has been thrown into sharp relief, with new reports painting a grim picture of escalating abuses, state repression, and a shrinking space for civic engagement. According to the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), a leading rights watchdog, the country witnessed a dramatic surge in violations—including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances—placing it among the world’s “repressed” states and sounding alarms about the future of its democracy.
Marking International Human Rights Day on December 10, IMLU released a forensic report that catalogued these abuses in painstaking detail. The numbers are staggering: between January and December 2025, Kenya recorded 97 extrajudicial executions, 18 deaths in police custody, 72 cases of torture or ill-treatment, 49 protest-related injuries, and five enforced disappearances. Perhaps even more startling, one report cited 1,500 arbitrary arrests—a figure that underscores the breadth of the crackdown on dissent this year.
IMLU described these figures as “grave and unprecedented,” warning that the country is experiencing a sharp escalation in state violence, unlawful policing, and an erosion of constitutional protections. "Kenya is now a repressed state. This is a clear warning that our democracy is weakening and civic freedoms are under attack," IMLU stated in its official report, as reported by Citizen Digital and Capital FM Kenya.
The organisation’s findings, drawn from forensic investigations, medico-legal documentation, and survivor testimonies, reflect a disturbing trend. According to IMLU, forensic teams documented close-range shootings, people shot from behind, and signs of deliberate harm. "Forensic reports reveal evidence of close-range shootings, targeting from behind and deliberate harm—strong indicators of unlawful policing and excessive force," the report noted. These cases, IMLU said, are not isolated; they point to a systemic pattern of impunity and disregard for the rule of law by state institutions.
One of the most troubling aspects of the year’s rights violations has been the response to peaceful protest. Kenya saw militarised policing during demonstrations on June 9, June 25, and Saba Saba (July 7), where both lethal and non-lethal weapons were deployed against demonstrators. "The use of live bullets on peaceful protesters shows a disturbing shift toward militarised policing," IMLU warned. The criminalisation of protest also intensified, with many young demonstrators and activists increasingly charged under anti-terrorism legislation. "Charging youth with terrorism for exercising their constitutional right to protest is criminalising dissent," the organisation said, highlighting the chilling effect on civic participation and free expression.
This crackdown has extended beyond Kenya’s borders. IMLU flagged a growing pattern of cross-border repression, including forced deportations and abductions of human rights defenders. Victims in 2025 included Tanzania’s Maria Sarungi, Uganda’s Martin Mavenjina, and Kenyan activists Bob Njagi, Boniface Mwangi, and Nicholas Oyoo. "Cross-border abductions and forced deportations point to coordinated efforts to silence civic activism. The deportation of foreign and regional human rights defenders illustrates a growing pattern of cross-border intimidation targeting those who speak out against state excesses," IMLU stated.
The media was not spared either. Restrictions on press freedom ranged from internet throttling to the arrest of journalists, further contributing to Kenya’s classification as “repressed” in the 2025 People Power Under Attack report by Civicus, KHRC, and CFF. This report, released in tandem with IMLU’s findings, placed Kenya in the same category as other nations where public freedoms are actively restricted and dissent is punished. "This categorisation should worry every Kenyan. It tells us that constitutional protections are being eroded," IMLU cautioned.
Despite the bleak outlook, there were moments of hope. IMLU welcomed a recent High Court ruling affirming the independence of constitutional oversight bodies, seeing it as a positive step toward restoring accountability. But the gap between judicial decisions and their implementation remains wide. Chief Justice Martha Koome, speaking on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, called for the upholding of the rule of law to protect and advance human rights. "We still have a wide gap between the Judiciary and on-the-ground implementation. Sometimes we make decisions, but the institutions mandated to implement them fail. Why should there be reluctance to implement what is already in our Constitution? That is why we are demanding ethical leadership from the government," CJ Koome said, as reported by Citizen Digital.
IMLU has also played a direct role in supporting victims and their families. In 2025, the organisation provided medical treatment to 94 survivors, psychosocial support to 345 individuals, forensic autopsies for 79 families, and 14 emergency rescue interventions. These efforts, while vital, are a sobering reminder of the scale of suffering endured by ordinary Kenyans this year.
Looking ahead, IMLU is urging the government to take urgent and concrete steps to reverse the slide toward authoritarianism. Their recommendations include strengthening the powers of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), criminalising enforced disappearances, operationalising the National Coroners Service Act, and safeguarding civic freedoms. The organisation also called for an immediate end to the abuse of anti-terror laws and cross-border abductions. "Kenya stands at a critical juncture," IMLU’s statement concluded. "Restoring dignity, justice, and accountability is essential for the country’s future."
This call to action is echoed by many in Kenya’s civil society, who warn that failing to act now could see the nation slide further into authoritarian rule. The year’s events have left many wondering: Can Kenya’s institutions muster the political will to protect rights and restore trust, or will repression become the new normal?
As the dust settles on one of the darkest years for human rights in Kenya, the question remains whether the government will heed these warnings—or whether the voices of survivors, activists, and watchdogs will continue to be met with silence and resistance. For now, the eyes of the nation—and the world—remain fixed on Nairobi, waiting to see what comes next.
