Kenyan Police Accused of Harassing Human Rights Watch Staff Member

The Kenyan police have been accused of harassing Otsieno Namwaya, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch, over his work documenting human rights abuses in Kenya. Between August 23 and 25, 2025, security officials conducted surveillance at Namwaya’s house, sparking concerns about the safety of rights activists in the country.

According to witnesses, a group of six men, believed to be plainclothes officers, were seen parked near Namwaya’s neighborhood on the evening of August 23. They returned on the morning of August 25, parking their vehicles at a nearby police station before walking to Namwaya’s house. One of the men was seen taking pictures of the house using his phone, while another was constantly on his phone.

The surveillance of Namwaya’s house follows months of efforts by government security officials to locate and access him through people known to him. Unofficial police sources have revealed that the team monitoring Namwaya is led by a senior member of the Operation Support Unit, which is based within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

Namwaya has led Human Rights Watch’s work in Kenya for over 13 years, documenting excessive force and other abuses by the Kenyan security forces, including the police, during protests. His work has also focused on the ongoing repression against human rights advocates in the country.

The Kenyan authorities have been criticized for targeting civil society organizations and rights activists since the June 2024 protests against a controversial tax law. President William Ruto accused the Ford Foundation of sponsoring the protests, but later backtracked on the allegations. Despite this, the government has continued to target activists and social media influencers with abductions and disappearances.

Human Rights Watch has called on the Kenyan authorities to provide Namwaya with the legal basis for the surveillance and to clarify why they have not used legally appropriate procedures to summon him or serve him a warrant. The organization has also urged the authorities to ensure that Namwaya and his family are protected from arbitrary or unlawful legal action and to immediately end all harassment against them.

The international community has been urged to press Kenya to end its ongoing harassment of civil society and human rights activists and to ensure accountability for serious human rights abuses, including abductions and disappearances. The targeting of staff working with international organizations highlights the lack of accountability by the Kenyan police for their ongoing attacks on civic and rights actors in the country.