Defenders Coalition executive director Kamau Ngugi wants Kenyans to step up vigilance to defend their rights and the constitution after a report showed constricted civic space.
He told the Star in an interview that defending constitutional rights will require resilience, sustained vigilance and resistance.
Excerpts:
Arising from the perception survey report ‘Trends of Civic Space in Kenya: An Assessment’ you just launched, what stands out for you as the trend in civic space in the country?
As you know, Kenya is currently rated as “repressed” by the Civicus Monitor, the second-worst rating a country can receive. This rating indicates severe restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association. The country was downgraded to a rating of “obstructed” in December 2024, following a brutal crackdown on nationwide Gen Z protests that began in June, 2024. Further, the country was added to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist in July, 2025, due to a disturbing escalation in state-led repression of civic freedoms. In the global context, only about 3.1 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries with an “open” rating, while a large majority lives in countries with repressed or closed civic spaces.
With that in mind, the report ‘Trends in Civic Space in Kenya: An Assessment’ analyses the state and trajectory of human rights in the country post-2010. We find that while several gains have been made in enhancing and safeguarding civic space, trends and experiences over the last couple of years point to an onslaught on civic freedoms. The state has, both overtly and in subtle ways, constrained the civic and democratic space through punitive and prohibitive governance frameworks targeting individuals, Public Benefits Organisations (PBOs), Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs), media organisations, trade unions, constitutional commissions and other independent state and non-state actors. Looking at past administrations starting with former President Mwai Kibaki (deceased), the report sounds a call to action for every Kenyan to be vigilant and claim their rights and freedoms.
How does this survey finding fit into the broader regional context as the leader of the East Africa Network of Human Rights Defenders?
We have seen what is happening in Tanzania and Uganda, who have largely taken cue from Kenya’s brutal suppression of Gen Z protesters and it is stomach-turning. The leaders in the region are providing solidarity for each other in brutalising and criminalising dissent. Everyone who seems to dissent, think differently or criticise how things are done—whether from regional, political, media, or legal spaces—is being targeted for reprisal. Overbearing police use of force, abductions, enforced disappearances, killings, and the banning of protests have become a common feature in the region. We cannot allow this to continue unabated. That is why this report is crucial in mapping what people feel and turning those findings into a call for action. Every Kenyan has a role in upholding and defending the Constitution, and we are asking that we all remain vigilant.
With that appreciation of the situation, how worried are you going into the charged electioneering period in 2027, when the regime will be fighting to retain power?
We expect things to be worse and more drastic. We have a regime that has effectively criminalised dissent and alternative views, views active citizens and human rights defenders as irritants who should not be listened to, and has demonstrated before that it can be beastly in defending its power. But there is hope in the constitution, which remains our only shield. The strength of a determined people cannot be overwhelmed by a cowardly political class.
As the three-day Human Rights Academy closes, and this being the 10th edition since 2015, what are your views on it?
The concept of the academy is to equip various human rights defenders with modern skills, enable them to network, and provide an avenue for reflection and debriefing for colleagues. We select various human rights defenders—especially from the grassroots—working on issues pertinent to their local communities, because this is crucial for us. This academy is essential for building capacity within the movement and for providing solidarity, enabling participants to find reassurance in knowing that many others are going through the same struggles. This year we had more than 200 colleagues working on various thematic areas from all parts of the country. They reflected on their work, shared experiences and possibly, through networking, developed partnerships that can propel them to greater effectiveness and reach. (The academy was convened by Defenders Coalition targeting 200 grassroots activists. It was held in Nairobi from November 25-27)
by GORDON OSEN
