On 6th February 2025, a human rights defender who was also a part of the ISHR volunteer network was found murdered and dumped by the roadside in Turkana County where he lived. Salman Loa had a reputation for being a champion for the rights of his people and was well known for advocating against corruption. He was also one of the lead voices against Government excesses that tended to disenfranchise the Turkana community, who are among the poorest people in Kenya due to government neglect. As part of the ISHR network, Salman was able to stall a big World Bank road project because of mistreatment of workers by the Chinese who had been contracted to construct the highway. This included the rape of women, some who conceived and mistreatment of male workers through unfair wages and physical assault. He ensured an investigation was done but unfortunately, those who were found guilty managed to flee the country.

Salman joins a growing list of human rights defenders who have either been murdered, forcefully disappeared or arrested since the June 2024 uprising of Kenyans against a highly disputed Finance Bill that proposed to heavily increase tax parameters on Kenyans. Kenyans protested by going to the streets in large numbers, signing petitions and online advocacy against the very unpopular Government of President Ruto. At the time of the protests, President Ruto had only been in power for less than two years. His unpopularity was further promoted by he and his ministers openly flaunting ill-gotten wealth on social media. They displayed watches, cars, helicopters, bundles of cash and new homes worth millions, recently acquired after their ascend to power. Several hundred Kenyans are said to either be missing or confirmed dead.

Salman Loa is not the only ISHR volunteer who has been targeted by the state. A few months ago, two brothers from Kajiado County who I have worked closely with in the past were abducted and held incommunicado for over a month. After several protests and campaigns demanding their release, they were dumped in a thicket far from their home, They narrated how they were stripped naked, physically tortured and denied food over the period of their illegal detention in what they described as a house that had dungeons designed to hold captured individuals.

What was assumed to be a one-off protest that saw several Kenyans killed on live TV by police and strategically placed snipers firing live bullets into protestors has since seen great unrest all over Kenya to date. Every day, for the last nine months, there is a protest held somewhere in Kenya because of bad governance and corruption. This unfortunately has seen the government crackdown on anyone perceived to be anti-Ruto. There are daily announcements of missing people, videos of abductions and dead bodies turning up all over the place, especially in rivers, with torture wounds and gun-shots. Many activists are also reporting illegal surveillance, both physical and electronic, including open threats via phone and text messages for their role in pushing for government accountability. In my case, I have also had an attempted break-in to my house among other extremely scary situations.

Kenya has also witnessed the abductions and illegal deportations of foreigners who had come into the country to seek refuge from their oppressive governments. One of these abductees is the very popular Ugandan opposition leader, Kizza Besigye who is currently being held at a military prison in Uganda where he is undergoing what is a clear violation of the Ugandan constitution by trying him in a kangaroo military court marshall with the clear knowledge that he is a civilian.

In October 2024, 5 men from Turkey were abducted in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. One was released because he held a British passport but the rest were forcefully deported at the request of the Turkish Government. They were said to be critiques of the powers that be in Turkey and had come to Kenya seeking asylum. Their abductions were aided by the Kenyan security forces. These are just two examples of cases that made headlines. There have been similar reports of activists from Tanzania and Rwanda being disappeared too and some have never been found since.

What is happening in Kenya takes us decades back during the reign of our first president Kenyatta and also our second president Moi where anyone who was perceived to be anti-government was arrested and jailed and in the worst case scenario, murdered. Though our constitution guarantees us freedom of speech and protest, the government of president Ruto has decided to ruthlessly crack down on anyone who does not support them. With numbers of those persecuted in one way or another reaching beyond a thousand souls, including the senseless loss of life, it is clear that we have sank into a dangerous hole as a Nation where our freedoms are no longer guaranteed.