Kenya is heading towards the August 10, 2027 General Election against a backdrop of mounting human rights violations, with a new report documenting 284 incidents in the first seven months of this year, including 46 deaths attributed to the police.
The findings, by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), raise questions about the safety of voters, the freedom to campaign and the credibility of the election, with the commission warning that violence, intimidation and interference with civic freedoms could intensify as the political contest gathers pace.
The incidents recorded between January 1 and July 31, 2026 affected 3,222 people and ranged from physical assaults and arbitrary arrests to the suppression of protests, enforced disappearances and attacks on the media.
Of the 284 incidents documented, 150 were flagged as carrying a risk of recurrence or escalation, pointing to a potentially volatile electoral environment if the underlying causes are not addressed.
The report also raises concerns about the role of security agencies, political operatives and organised groups in incidents that could restrict political participation, intimidate opponents and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
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During a multi-agency engagement on preparations for the General Election in Nairobi yesterday, KHRC Senior Communications Manager Ernest Cornel questioned the identity and accountability of police units allegedly implicated in violations.
“Most of the incidents involved people who are said to be police officers. The National Police Service, however, said they are not involved, leaving questions as to who these police units are and what has been done about them, especially given that we are headed to the elections,” Mr Cornel said.
The report suggests that some specialised police units could be operating outside the formal command structure further raising fears of politicisation within sections of the National Police Service and the possibility of partisan enforcement as campaigns intensify.
Its breakdown records 82 incidents of physical violence and assaults, 39 involving the suppression of peaceful assembly and protests and 32 involving arbitrary detention, abductions and disappearances.
A further 35 incidents involved electoral interference and intimidation, while 31 concerned violations of media freedom, highlighting the risks facing political campaigns, public demonstrations and election reporting.
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During the July 16 Ol Kalou by-election, masked and armed men assaulted Nation Media Group/NTV and Star journalists in Nyandarua County, confiscating their cameras and gear.
In August, armed youths attacked journalists covering a political rally in Homa Bay County. At least eight journalists and two drivers were injured, equipment was destroyed or stolen, and a Mediamax vehicle was burned. Victims included staff from the Standard Group, AFP, KBC, and Mediamax. Last week, plainclothes police officers assaulted and arrested Citizen TV journalist Odee Francis in Nairobi on October 20 while he covered anti-fuel-price protests along Kimathi Street.
The report also associated National Police Service and specialised units with 162 incidents, including killings, assaults, arrests the use of lethal crowd-control weapons and enforced disappearances. But Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli defended the service, saying officers were working with the public to maintain security and that allegations of wrongdoing would be investigated where evidence was available. He disputed some of the incidents cited in the report, saying police had acted on cases known to them and challenged KHRC to provide evidence on those it believed had gone unaddressed.
“We have dedicated officers working in coordination with the public to ensure your safety. We have tracked and acted upon 162 cases pointed out by my colleague from the KHRC, but the rest are just illusions. If you have the facts, bring us the evidence and we’ll act,” Mr Masengeli said.
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He urged the commission to share details that could help investigators identify alleged offenders, adding that anyone who commits a crime should be treated as a criminal regardless of their position in the service.
He likened the law to a mirror that reveals wrongdoing but cannot compel an individual to change their conduct.
“So, the law will just allow you to know that this is wrong. But it will not force you to do the wrong or the good. When it comes to a point that you (an officer) have committed a crime, you are no longer a police officer, you are a criminal,” he said.
Beyond the police, KHRC documented 39 incidents associated with goons, 31 linked to political party officials and 23 involving party affiliated youth groups. Another 22 incidents concerned political gang violence, while 22 related to electoral integrity and political competition.
The commission warned that such groups could be used to disrupt rallies and attack opponents or intimidate voters, undermining the right to participate freely in the electoral process.
Four incidents were categorised under electoral administration, including concerns relating to the voter register, boundary delimitation and the transmission or tallying of results. Seven incidents involved technology and digital electoral integrity, including reported digital surveillance.
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The report also documented five incidents involving hate speech and ethnic incitement, three categorised as gender-based political violence and cases raising concerns about bribery, electoral interference and the misuse of public resources during campaigns.
The emerging risks come as electoral institutions and other stakeholders face pressure to demonstrate that the 2027 contest will be conducted in a safe, transparent and impartial environment. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Deputy CEO Obadiah Keitany said preparations must go beyond logistics, technology and the administration of voting to address the security of the electoral environment.
“We recognise that election preparedness goes beyond logistics, technology, and vote administration. It must happen in a peaceful environment. A credible election should be free of violence,” Mr Keitany said.
He said IEBC could not guarantee a credible election without cooperation from other institutions and stakeholders citing Article 81 of the Constitution, which requires elections to be free from violence and intimidation.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon speaks during a High-Level National Election Security Roundtable Consultative Forum organised by the IEBC at Serena Hotel in Nairobi on August 2, 2026.
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“We have seen rising cases of violence, and violence is the worst form of rigging an election. If you instigate violence, then even the voters will not show up to cast that vote. The election will have already been tilted,” he said.
Political Parties Liaison Committee chairperson Peter Misati called on Kenyans to challenge leaders engaging in hate speech and divisive conduct, saying citizens had a responsibility to protect national cohesion.
“Let us all call out the leaders who are engaging in hate speech and act against them. It is our civil responsibility to uphold nationalism and call out those who want to divide us,” Mr Misati said.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission also warned that hate speech was becoming an increasing concern ahead of the elections, particularly on digital platforms.
NCIC chairperson Kepha Omae said the commission faced difficulties prosecuting political leaders over hate speech because of the high evidentiary threshold required to sustain cases in court.
“We are witnessing the rise of hate speech as we move to the 2027 elections, especially on the digital platforms. We will not allow the leaders to destroy this great nation that we have,” Bishop Omae said.
He said the commission had increasingly relied on engagement and peace-building, seeking to persuade political leaders to promote peaceful conduct. “One of the biggest challenges we face is taking them to court for hate speech. For you to take these leaders to court, you need watertight evidence, but this has become difficult to obtain,” he said.
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According to the report, the geographical spread of the incidents also points to a changing risk landscape. Nairobi accounted for 106 incidents in the commission’s county breakdown representing 43.8 per cent of the 242 incidents included in that analysis. Nyandarua recorded 19, Kajiado 11, while Kiambu and Nyeri each recorded 10.
The commission warned that traditional hotspots for electoral violence could be shifting, with more counties in central Kenya emerging in its monitoring. It cited Ol Kalou as an example of reported physical violence intended to suppress votes alongside alleged economic inducements to buy votes. The lobby said its findings were based on systematic monitoring of television broadcasts, newspaper reports and digital platforms.
Incidents were cross-checked across multiple media outlets and analysed for recurring patterns and the risk of escalation.
The findings come against the backdrop of a separate Kofi Annan Foundation report released in July which estimated an 81.6 per cent probability of election-related violence during the 2027 General Election.
That report identified unresolved political divisions, economic hardship, youth frustration, ethnic mobilisation, declining public trust in institutions and the use of organised gangs in politics as factors that could heighten tensions.
It also warned that heavy-handed policing of political rallies and protests could inflame an already tense environment, recommending professional crowd management, political neutrality among security agencies and transparent election preparations.
