Visiting Dutch King Willem-Alexander yesterday strongly condemned violations of human rights and asked Kenya to uphold all laws that promote and defend them.

Speaking yesterday as he kicked off a three-day State visit to Kenya, King Willem-Alexander asked President William Ruto’s administration to respect the fundamental rights of all Kenyan citizens.

He emphasised the need for good governance, democracy and accountability. The King was accompanied by his spouse, Queen Maxima
“The people of Kenya, like those in the Netherlands, want their rights as free citizens to be respected and their voices heard. I’m pleased that our countries’ strong relationship allows us to devote attention during this visit to issues such as human rights, good governance and accountability,” he said.

Human rights

Ahead of his visit, human rights activists have constantly voiced their concerns about the abduction of young Kenyans seen to be opposed to the Ruto administration. The Kenya Chapter of Amnesty International called on the government to put human rights discussions at the centre of diplomatic relations between Kenya and the Netherlands.

“As Dutch authorities prepare for the official state visit to Kenya to intensify bilateral Dutch-Kenya relations, Amnesty International calls on both authorities to place human rights at the heart of the visit, address human rights violations and commit to accountability for all victims following the recent brutal crackdown on human rights,” said Amnesty International -Kenya director, Houghton Irungu. And yesterday, King Willem-Alexander said matters of human rights, good governance and accountability, will be areas of focus during his stay in Kenya.

Days before his visit, thousands of Kenyans had written emails, petitioning the royals to cancel their visit.

More than 20,000 Kenyans signed the petition on Change.org asking the couple to reconsider their visit.

Last month, the government in the Netherlands said that it had received more than 300 emails asking for the cancellation, but that the state visit would proceed as scheduled.

Following a meeting at State House, President Ruto and King Willem-Alexander signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and a letter of intent aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. The agreements cover key sectors such as trade, agriculture, and tourism, while the leaders also explored potential collaborations in security and climate action.

The Dutch Monarch expressed optimism about the agreements, noting that Kenya is a self-assured nation that is proud of its economic performance, democracy, institutions and international role.

Free speech
“This visit therefore shows how our interests are aligned and how close these two countries are,” he stated.

His visit comes at a time when concerns over human rights violations in Kenya have been mounting.

Over the past months, security agencies have faced accusations of excessive force and enforced disappearances in response to anti-government protests that began in June last year, during which demonstrators stormed Parliament and torched a section of the building.

It was reported that the protesters were unhappy over the new taxes passed by legislators.

Along with cracking down on demonstrators and curbing free speech, the country also saw state-linked abductions of young men for social media posts deemed offensive to the president.

In December, during protests against widespread kidnappings and abductions, dozens of peaceful protesters were arrested.