Yesterday, Kenya bore witness to an egregious display of state overreach as police responded violently to peaceful #EndFemicide protests. What should have been an earnest outcry against gender-based violence turned into a stark reminder of another pervasive menace: the shrinking civic space and the state’s disdain for its citizens’ right to assemble and express dissent.
The blanket criminalisation of protests in Kenya is not just unconstitutional—it is a betrayal of the democratic ideals we claim to uphold. Article 37 of our Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to peacefully assemble, demonstrate, picket, and present petitions to public authorities. Yet, these words ring hollow when the police, with brazen impunity, respond to legitimate grievances with teargas, batons, and arrests.
When the Call for Justice Meets Brutality
The #EndFemicide protests were a cry from the heart of our society—women, men, and youth uniting to demand accountability for the rampant gender-based violence that continues to plague our nation. This wasn’t a political rally or a threat to public order. It was a call for justice, one rooted in our collective humanity and the urgent need to protect lives.
Instead of engaging with the protesters or even acknowledging the gravity of the issues raised, the state chose the path of repression. The scenes that unfolded—protesters beaten, dispersed with violence, and vilified as criminals—paint a damning picture of a government deaf to the cries of its people.
State Violence Is Not Governance
The increasingly standardised response of police brutality to protests is an affront to democracy. It signifies a state that views its citizens as adversaries rather than partners in governance. Violence cannot be the answer to legitimate grievances. To criminalise dissent is to undermine the foundation of trust upon which governance is built.
This is not just about the #EndFemicide protests; it is a pattern. From environmental activists to citizens demanding accountability and now citizens pleading for the safety of women, the response has been the same: a government wielding force to suppress voices.
Enough Is Enough
We must ask ourselves: who benefits from a government that silences its people? What future can we build when the pursuit of justice is met with brutality? Kenya deserves better. We deserve leaders who listen, who uphold the Constitution, and who protect our rights rather than trampling on them. The government must immediately cease its criminalisation of protests and hold to account the officers who resorted to violence yesterday. Anything less is an abdication of its responsibility.
This is not just a call for change but a demand for justice, accountability, and the restoration of the civic space we are guaranteed. We cannot build a nation while silencing its people. We cannot end femicide while ignoring its victims.
Standing Firm for Justice
To those who protested yesterday, your courage is not in vain. Your voices, though met with violence, echo loudly in the hearts of many Kenyans who understand that the fight for justice is never easy, but it is always necessary.
And to the government: listen to your people. They are not the enemy. They are your citizens. They are Kenya. #EndFemicideKe
Please also read: TIME TO REIMAGINE OUR POLICE.
