What You Need to Know
Amnesty International has cautioned the National Police Service in Kenya against using excessive force during upcoming protests over fuel price hikes. The rights group emphasized the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and urged police to ensure the safety of demonstrators. Past incidents of police violence have raised concerns, prompting Amnesty to remind officers of their responsibility to
Africa-Press – Kenya. The National Police Service has been warned against using excessive force against demonstrators ahead of planned protests on Tuesday, April 21.
Rights group Amnesty International issued a statement on Monday evening, reminding police officers that the Constitution guarantees every person the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket, and present petitions peacefully and unarmed under Article 37.
With this in mind, the rights group called on Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to provide security for protesters on Tuesday, to facilitate peaceful demonstrations.
“The Police bear a primary responsibility for collectively facilitating and protecting this right, not for suppressing it. The purpose of protest notifications is to coordinate public safety, not to request permission,” Amnesty stated.
Amnesty referenced past demonstrations where the rights body documented excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, harassment of journalists, and obstruction of medical personnel.
The rights group warned that individual officers and their commanders could be held personally and criminally liable for violations of human rights and constitutional protections.
While referencing recent court rulings that reinforced standards governing police conduct during protests, Amnesty warned that the use of excessive force, particularly live bullets, was against the law.
The statement went on, “The Court was categorical that firearms may only be used where strictly unavoidable to protect life, and that treating protest situations as battlefields is impermissible in a constitutional democracy.”
On Monday, social media platform X was rife with an online campaign calling on Kenyan youth to take to the streets to protest against the new fuel prices announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) a week earlier.
EPRA had initially set fuel prices at KSh 206.97 per litre for petrol and KSh 206.84 for diesel following the April 2026 review, marking one of the sharpest increases in recent months.
However, the figures were later revised, with petrol dropping by Ksh 9.37 to Ksh 197.60 and diesel falling by KSh 10.21 to Ksh 196.63 after President William Ruto directed a reduction of VAT on fuel to 8 per cent.
This mitigation measure did little to appease Kenyans, who remain adamant that the price hike remained too steep.
In recent years, Kenya has witnessed a series of protests driven by rising living costs and government policies. The public’s frustration has often led to clashes with law enforcement, resulting in calls for accountability and respect for human rights. Amnesty International has been vocal in advocating for the protection of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly, especially in the face of increasing police violence during demonstrations. The recent fuel price hikes have reignited these tensions, prompting renewed calls for peaceful protests and government accountability.
