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Rights defenders raise alarm over shrinking civic space in Kenya
National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Kenya (Defenders Coalition) Executive Director Kamau Ngugi.
Human rights defenders have expressed concern over what they describe as a rapidly shrinking civic space in East Africa.
They warn that governments in the region are increasingly resorting to intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and violence to silence dissenting voices.
The concerns emerged during the launch of the Defenders Coalition’s 2026–2030 strategic plan in Nairobi, where activists and civil society leaders painted a grim picture of growing repression targeting human rights defenders, journalists, and opposition figures across the region.
Mr Kamau Ngugi, the executive director of the Defenders Coalition, said the organisation was unveiling its new strategy at a defining moment for democracy and constitutionalism in Kenya and neighbouring countries.
“We are noticing that the movement towards consolidation of repression within the East African region is increasing,” Mr Ngugi said, adding that activists pushing for accountability, free elections, and stronger democratic institutions were increasingly becoming targets of state reprisals.
The coalition said the deteriorating economic situation across the region had worsened tensions between citizens and governments, with many people struggling to afford basic needs while authorities respond harshly to calls for justice and accountability.
“It is a sad moment that when people demand their rights, when human rights defenders say that justice must prevail, they are attacked,” Mr Ngugi said.
The organisation accused state institutions, particularly security agencies, of weaponising the justice system through what it termed as trumped-up charges against activists. According to the coalition, courts in several instances had dismissed such cases, exposing what rights groups view as deliberate attempts to intimidate critics.
The coalition also expressed concern over rising cross-border repression within the East African region, saying activists travelling to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Tanzania had faced harassment, abductions and torture.
“In the past few years we’ve seen human rights defenders, journalists and people who are considered opposition being attacked,” Mr Ngugi said. “Some have been kidnapped, others tortured.”
The new strategic plan places significant emphasis on the protection of women human rights defenders amid growing cases of gender-based violence and online abuse targeting female activists.
Mr Ngugi said the coalition had observed a worrying increase in femicide and digital attacks against women defenders, prompting the organisation to invest in digital safety training and solidarity networks for women activists.
Part of the coalition’s renewed focus, he said, would involve strengthening support systems for women defenders operating both online and within communities where they face heightened risks.
The event also reflected on the dangers faced by activists working in marginalised communities. Mr Ngugi cited the killing of Elizabeth Ekaru, a woman rights defender campaigning for land and inheritance rights. He described her death as a painful reminder of the cost that many activists pay while defending vulnerable groups.
“It is very sad that we can lose a human rights defender just because they are defending the rights for the poor and the dispossessed in society,” he said.
Mr George Morara, vice chair of the coalition’s board of trustees, said the Defenders Coalition had evolved from a small network formed after the 2007 post-election violence into one of Africa’s leading protection organisations for activists.
Despite increasing pressure on civic freedoms, Mr Morara said the organisation remained committed to defending constitutional rights and supporting human rights defenders across the region.
“Defending human rights defenders is the responsibility of the government,” he said. “We only step in where the state fails to protect human rights defenders from violations.”
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