By Wahome Ngatia
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has sharply condemned the Kenyan government for deporting Martin Mavenjina, a senior legal advisor at the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), calling for his immediate return.
Mavenjina, a prominent human rights lawyer, was bundled out of Kenya and dropped in Uganda on July 5 — just a day before the Saba Saba protests swept across the country. He had flown back from South Africa, only to be met with what civil society groups are calling a blatant act of state repression.
On July 6, a gang of hired thugs stormed the KHRC offices in Nairobi, disrupting a press conference planned by mothers of young protesters killed during the Gen Z-led anti-government demonstrations. The ICCL linked the deportation and the attack, accusing the Kenyan authorities of orchestrating a campaign to silence dissenting voices.
“The use of hired goons is a deliberate tactic to crush civil society while shielding those in power from direct accountability,” ICCL declared in a strongly worded statement. “These aren’t isolated incidents — they are part of a growing pattern of intimidation and repression targeting activists and rights groups in Kenya.”
ICCL called on President William Ruto’s government to uphold the rule of law, end harassment of civil society organizations (CSOs), and launch an independent probe into the violent raid at KHRC.
Founded in 1976, ICCL is a respected Irish human rights watchdog known for “speaking truth to power.” While based in Dublin, the group has a long track record of standing with activists worldwide facing threats from oppressive regimes.
The latest condemnation adds to the growing international spotlight on Kenya’s human rights record amid rising street protests, police violence, and a shrinking civic space.
