CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil societies, has downgraded Kenya in its latest report on the civil space across the world.
In the report titled People Under Attack 2024, Kenya's civil space was downgraded from obstructed to repressed.
The global alliance explained that the downgrading was occasioned by President William Ruto's administration's response to protests which were witnessed in June this year.
In particular, the report highlighted the excessive use of force that saw a number of protesters killed with others nursing serious injuries.
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"Kenya’s downgraded rating follows the government's continuing brutal crackdown on nationwide protests sparked by legislation which sought to raise taxes and sharply increase the cost of living amid unchecked government corruption," read the report in part.
"The government’s violent response led to the deaths of at least 60 unarmed protesters and at least 1,200 arrests of protesters.
The recent abductions allegedly committed by unknown security personnel also contributed to the downgrade.
Notably, the alliance expressed concern that the abduction has continued despite the Anti-Finance Bill protests having ended.
Other countries that were downgraded to various categories alongside Kenya include Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Georgia, Mongolia and the Netherlands.
"Each country’s civic space is rated in one of five categories- open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed and closed – based on a methodology that combines several data sources on freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly and the state’s duty to protect these fundamental freedoms," read the report in part.
