On June 19, 2024, peaceful demonstrations spread through Kenya against the proposed Finance Bill 2024 that would increase the cost of various goods and services. As demonstrations intensified, the Kenyan government deployed law enforcement units to disperse the demonstrators. The latest report of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights indicates that the brutal force deployed by security forces has so far resulted in 41 deaths, 361 injuries, and 674 arbitrarily arrested persons. Clandestine abductions, enforced disappearances, and incommunicado detentions have also been reported. In this joint statement, Kenyan civil society demands government accountability and calls on the Kenyan authorities to cease all abductions and enforced disappearances and end the surveillance, threats, and intimidations of human rights defenders and civil society actors.  The World Movement for Democracy stands in solidarity with the people of Kenya in their demands for accountability, good governance, and justice.

Access the full statement here.