Amnesty International has urged the Kenyan government to address the economic grievances driving youth-led protests and end what it describes as an escalating crackdown on dissent, including arbitrary arrests, abductions, torture and surveillance.
In a report released on Monday, October 19, 2026, the human rights organisation documented alleged abuses against protesters, activists and journalists during demonstrations between 2023 and 2025.
The report, titled: Human Rights Under Siege: Unpacking Authoritarian Practices in an Era of Economic Pressure amid Youth-Led Protests in Kenya, links the protests to rising food and transport costs, increased taxes and levies, public debt, corruption, poverty, inequality and unfulfilled electoral promises.
“The findings of this report are troubling and paint a stark picture of the Kenyan government’s repressive response to real grievances affecting the day-to-day lives of ordinary people,” said Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director George Morara.
He urged authorities to address the underlying economic pressures, end the escalating crackdown on dissent and ensure accountability for human rights violations committed during the protests.
Between April and July 2026, Amnesty International researchers interviewed 102 people, including protesters, lawyers, journalists, government officials, medical personnel and civil society activists.
They also examined parliamentary records, budgets and tax policies covering 2023 to 2025.
The report documents accounts from 36 people across five counties who said they had been arrested by police or abducted by individuals suspected of being security agents during or after the protests.
Some reported being detained for days, beaten, tortured or interrogated without legal representation. Others said they were denied access to their families.
Benjamin*, who was accused of organising protests in Kisumu against the cost of living and controversial Finance Bills, described being taken to an unknown location.
“I was taken to an unknown place and locked for a night. The following day at around 11 am they stripped me naked and dumped me in a room in the middle of Chemelil sugar plantation,” he told researchers.
The organisation also documented allegations of unlawful surveillance targeting protesters’ mobile phones, WhatsApp groups, social media discussions and family residences.
Six journalists interviewed by Amnesty International reported being subjected to police force, including physical assaults, tear gas, water cannons and gunfire. Some said officers ordered them to delete footage or confiscated their equipment.
Economic grievances remained central to the protests, with 54 interviewees identifying corruption as one of the main reasons they took to the streets.
One protester questioned continued tax increases amid allegations of public resource mismanagement, saying: “The issue of increasing taxes is not logical. They should deal with corruption and be accountable.”
Another protester from Kisumu said rising fuel prices were worsening the cost of living.
“Life has become so unbearable for a normal citizen. Once fuel prices are hiked automatically cost of living rises,” the protester said.
Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah called for meaningful public participation, transparent public spending and action against corruption and waste.
“Young people are rising up to demand better use of resources, transparency and accountability. The response from the government should not and must not be violent repression,” he said.
The organisation called for compensation and medical assistance for victims, prosecution of security officers implicated in abuses and a review of cases involving the alleged malicious prosecution of protesters.
It also urged the government to strengthen social protection, improve transparency in debt management and assess the human rights implications of economic reforms.
The human rights agency said it had shared its findings with relevant government agencies but had received no feedback by the time of publication.
