Rights groups expose state violence against peaceful protests
By Sharon Atieno, May 22, 2026Human rights organisations Odipo Dev and Amnesty International Kenya have launched the Kenya Freedom Index, a new data-driven platform tracking violations of the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, days after fuel-related protests across the country.
The index, which analyses 1,002 protests between 2020 and 2025, paints what the organisations describe as a “stark pattern” of escalating force and restrictions against demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights.
In a statement shared on X on Friday, May 22, 2026, the organisations said the platform is the first of its kind in Kenya to empirically document how protests have been policed over time, raising renewed debate on the balance between public order and civil liberties.
Rising tensions in protest policing
The Kenya Freedom Index highlights growing concerns over how state agencies respond to demonstrations, particularly those linked to economic grievances such as fuel price hikes.
According to the report, repeated patterns of excessive force, intimidation and arrests have been recorded across multiple protest cycles, prompting calls for urgent reforms in crowd management and accountability systems.
The launch comes at a time when fuel protests have resurfaced in parts of the country, triggering renewed scrutiny of police conduct and protest management strategies.
Police urged to exercise restraint
Ahead of earlier planned demonstrations over fuel price increases, Amnesty International Kenya issued a public advisory urging the National Police Service to exercise restraint and uphold constitutional protections during protests.
“Police bear a primary responsibility for collectively facilitating and protecting this right, not for suppressing it,” the organisation stated, emphasising that demonstrations do not require permission but coordination for public safety.
The rights group further warned against the use of excessive force, including live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters, insisting that such measures violate both constitutional and international standards.
Accountability and responsibility
Amnesty also stressed that senior police officers must be held accountable for the actions of officers under their command, including any unlawful use of force or failure to prevent abuse during demonstrations.
It further called for officers deployed during protests to be clearly identifiable through uniforms, name tags and service numbers, in line with court orders and policing guidelines.
The organisation said the Kenya Freedom Index is intended to strengthen public accountability by providing evidence-based tracking of protest-related rights violations.
As fuel protests continue to shape national discourse, rights groups are urging both state agencies and demonstrators to uphold the law, warning that the protection of constitutional freedoms remains central to Kenya’s democratic stability.