By Samuel Ouma
A coalition of civil society organizations has vehemently opposed Kenya’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, citing widespread human rights violations and governance abuses in President William Ruto’s government.
In an open letter to the UN Human Rights Council’s members and observer nations, the organizations voiced alarm over Kenya’s poor human rights record. They urged the international community to reject the country’s candidacy.
“We urge the United Nations (UN) and the international community to reject Kenya’s request for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Granting such a position would severely undermine the credibility and mandate of the UN and its ability to hold perpetrators accountable,” read the letter in part.
The coalition, which included organizations including the National Alliance for Human Rights Defenders, Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), among others, denounced the Kenyan government for not honouring its legal commitments on a national and international level.
They underlined that Kenya’s application to the UN contained “voluntary pledges and commitments” incompatible with its human rights record.
The civil society organizations asserted that since President Ruto assumed office in 2022, Kenyans have overseen widespread abuses of human rights, damaging the nation’s reputation as a human rights champion.
The letter cited a variety of abuses, including unlawful killings, abductions, enforced disappearances, and the suppression of peaceful protests.
According to the organizations, Kenyan police have been at the forefront of these violations, using disproportionate force against citizens, particularly during protests over the 2024 Finance Bill, which resulted in at least 60 fatalities. The police were also accused of kidnapping 65 people and illegally detaining more than 1,400 nonviolent protesters.
“The Kenyan police have a long history of violently suppressing independent institutions and dissenting voices. Our policing system, rooted in the colonial and post-independence regimes, was designed to serve the narrow interests of the ruling elite at the expense of the people and
their rights. Today, the police remain the state’s primary agents of repression,” stated the letter further.
In addition to human rights breaches, the letter highlighted Kenya’s disregard for court rulings and the weaponization of regulatory frameworks to silence opposition. The coalition noted instances in which the administration disregarded court orders, such as a case involving the previous acting Inspector General of Police, who defied several court orders about the whereabouts of abducted human rights defenders.
They also accused the Ruto administration of enacting various anti-people social and economic policies, such as the contentious Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and a punishing taxation system.
The arbitrary displacement of residents in informal settlements during floods, rampant corruption, and discriminatory governmental appointments based on ethnicity, region, and political affiliations were all mentioned as major problems.
The organizations have urged the UN to investigate Kenya’s human rights crimes and bring those guilty to account through international procedures, such as the International Criminal Court.
Furthermore, the organizations called on the African Union to withdraw its support for Kenya’s bid and instead use its human rights mechanisms to address the continued crimes.
“AU should leverage its Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the African Court of Justice to ensure effective remedies and prevent future.
Violations,” the coalition stated.
