A recent report by Amnesty International has shed light on the alarming rise of digital repression in Kenya, particularly during the Gen Z-led protests of 2024 and 2025. The report, based on in-depth interviews with 31 young human rights defenders and social media analysis, reveals a disturbing pattern of state-linked online harassment, coordinated disinformation, and unlawful surveillance against peaceful protesters and outspoken online voices.
Digital platforms, including TikTok, X, and WhatsApp, played a central role in mobilizing the protests, enabling young people to organize demonstrations, share critical information, and crowdsource support for victims of police abuse. However, the government responded with a mix of digital and traditional forms of repression, including online threats, doxing, smear campaigns, and internet disruptions.
The report highlights the disproportionate impact of tech-facilitated violence on young women and LGBTI activists, who faced brutal forms of gender-based violence, including AI-generated sexual imagery and homophobic hate campaigns. Coordinated pro-government disinformation networks, often linked to paid influencer groups, worked to delegitimize protesters, framing them as foreign agents or “paid activists.”
The telecommunications infrastructure was also weaponized, with credible allegations of illegal access to phone data and live location tracking used to identify and target vocal activists. The report notes that police violence escalated during the protests, resulting in at least 3,000 arbitrary arrests, 83 enforced disappearances, and 128 killings between 2024 and 2025.
The Kenyan government’s use of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act to intimidate activists, charge them unjustly, or block online content has further exacerbated the situation. Despite this hostile environment, young Kenyans continue to organize, speak out, and demand justice, reflecting a generation deeply committed to building a rights-respecting Kenya.
The report’s findings expose a dangerous turning point for digital rights, civic space, and democratic participation in Kenya. To reverse this trend, the report calls for an end to tech-facilitated violence, accountability for the killings and disappearances, and an investigation into illegal surveillance. It also urges tech companies and telecoms providers to uphold human rights in their operations and compels the Kenyan government to recognize that dissent, online or offline, is a constitutional right.
