'We will not be silenced': KHRC vows protests after raid on its offices

Goons storm the Kenya Human Rights Commission offices in Lavington, Nairobi, on July 6, 2025.[Jacinta Mutura, Standard]

The Kenya Human Rights Commission has called on the public to help identify men who stormed its Nairobi offices on Sunday, accusing the government of using a militia to intimidate rights defenders ahead of Saba Saba protests.

Closed-circuit television footage (CCTV) shows several unmasked men entering the offices at 2:08 p.m., slapping and pushing mothers of police brutality victims while destroying property and media equipment. 

The mothers were addressing journalists before Monday’s protests demanding accountability for police killings, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances during demonstrations.

"We need your assistance in identifying these individuals. They were part of a state-hired militia that attacked people at the KHRC office yesterday," the commission posted on X on Monday, July 7.

The commission said staff and guests were injured during the attack, linking it to a wider pattern of intimidation against civil society and efforts to silence criticism of the government. 

It cited the recent arrest and alleged illegal rendition of its staff member Martin Mavenjina, who was seized while monitoring protests.

"This was a calculated escalation in the campaign of intimidation by the William Ruto regime against the KHRC following the extraordinary illegal rendition of our staff Martin Mavenjina and human rights defenders holding it accountable for gross human rights violations," observed the commission.

Police have not commented on the incident, but rights groups have accused security agencies of targeting organisers of anti-government protests. 

Human rights monitors say dozens have been detained in recent months while protesters have faced harassment and violence.

Despite the raid, the commission said the  Saba Saba protests would proceed peacefully from 10 a.m. on Monday at Jeevanjee Gardens in Nairobi.

"We will not be silenced," the commission warned, "The Constitution protects our right to protest and speak out. See you on the streets on Monday."