Kenya police accused of harassing senior HRW staff member

Human Rights Watch on Friday known as on Kenyan authorities to finish the obvious harassment of Otsieno Namwaya, the group’s Affiliate Africa Director, over his work documenting human rights abuses within the nation.

In response to HRW, from August 23 to 25, witnesses noticed teams of plainclothes officers suspected to be from the police’s Operation Assist Unit monitoring Namwaya’s house. On one event, the people had been seen photographing the property earlier than parking their autos close to a close-by police station and talking with uniformed officers. HRW acknowledged that these actions appeared to quantity to intimidation tied to Namwaya’s work documenting human rights abuses in Kenya. The group confirmed it has written to Inspector Common Douglas Kanja looking for clarification on whether or not a warrant existed for the surveillance and requesting safety ensures for Namwaya and his household.

HRW Interim Government Director Federico Borello described the surveillance as a part of a broader pattern of limiting civic house in Kenya. He emphasised that moderately than harassing rights defenders, authorities ought to work to create an enabling setting for civil society that strengthens accountability and the rule of regulation.

The Kenya Human Rights Fee (KHRC) additionally condemned the alleged harassment, calling it “a brazen act of intimidation” and “an assault on Kenya’s Structure.” KHRC additional acknowledged that the focusing on of Namwaya was according to “a rising sample of illegal surveillance” geared toward silencing civil society voices and warned that such actions threat undermining Kenya’s constitutional framework (Eastleigh Voice; Kenyans.co.ke).

HRW has beforehand raised considerations about Kenyan safety forces. In a 2016 report, the group documented compelled disappearances, deaths in custody, and different severe abuses throughout counterterrorism operations in Nairobi and the northeast. The report highlighted failures of oversight and accountability inside Kenyan regulation enforcement establishments.

Worldwide observers have additionally scrutinized Kenya’s counterterrorism framework. A Simply Safety investigation detailed the involvement of the US and UK in supporting Kenyan operations, citing an absence of transparency and oversight over how exterior help might contribute to human rights violations.

Each HRW and KHRC have known as on Kenyan authorities to finish harassment of human rights defenders and guarantee accountability for these accountable. They argue that such practices not solely violate Kenya’s constitutional obligations but additionally erode public belief in democratic establishments.