By KPC Reporter
Elected leaders have been asked to ensure that government policies align with its obligation to fulfill citizens’ economic, social and cultural rights.
This, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Transparency International (TI) will avert public protests in future.
Also Read
“They should ensure meaningful public participation in the design and implementation of economic reforms and publication of human rights impact assessments of proposed policies,” the two entities said in a joint report.
The report, which is titled, Unchecked Injustice: Kenya’s Suppression of the 2023 Anti-Government Protests has also recommended that politicians publicly commit to comprehensive police reforms.
“They should ensure that the process of reform is expedited to improve both the effective protection of human rights and processes for internal accountability and external oversight in the face of alleged violations,” the report which was made public recently says.
HRW and TI have also asked politicians to refrain from interfering in the operational policing decisions and from exerting political pressure on the policing of demonstrations.
Repeal Sections
They also want Section 5 of the Public Order Act to be repealed and aligned to the Constitution, African Commission Guidelines on the Rights to Protest and International Human Rights Standards, by guaranteeing exercising the right to protest.
The section requires protesters to issue a notice of at least three days to the police, but this requirement has restricted protests in the country, according to HRW and TI.
The report has focused on the manner in which the government reacted to protests between March and July last year.
Citizens were protesting high taxes that had exacerbated their already difficult economic situation.
HRW and TI conducted over 200 interviews in Nakuru, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, Machakos, Makueni, Siaya, Kisumu and Nairobi before they compiled the report, which provides an in-depth account of the harrowing human rights violations that took place between March and July 2023.
Similar, and perhaps worse protests occurred in June this year, where an unknown number of Kenyans lost their lives while others were left with injuries.
During the Gen Z-led protests, Parliament was invaded and President William Ruto dissolved his Cabinet, only to reconstitute it soon after by co-opting members from the opposition.
