Kenyan authorities deported Zimbabwean constitutional lawyer Brian Bright Kagoro, accusing him of orchestrating a foreign-funded operation to destabilize the government through renewed street protests.
Immigration officials declared Kagoro, 51, persona non grata and removed him from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday night following hours of interrogation.
Security sources claimed investigations spanning six months linked him to what they described as a sophisticated political mobilization network allegedly bankrolled by international donors.
The deportation, officials said, signals the government’s diminishing tolerance for foreign activists engaging in domestic political mobilization.
According to security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kagoro made three separate visits to Nairobi in 2025, during which he allegedly pledged in closed-door meetings to raise $1.2 million (Sh150 million) to support activist initiatives.
Authorities claim the funds were intended to capitalize on economic grievances and reignite the 2024 Gen Z protests that rattled President William Ruto’s administration.
Those demonstrations — largely youth-led and coordinated online — forced the government to withdraw controversial tax proposals and triggered weeks of unrest. Protesters at the time insisted the movement was organic and not driven by foreign influence.
“We have evidence, gathered painstakingly over the last six months, establishing a deliberate strategy to manufacture civil unrest,” a senior security official said.
The decision to deport Kagoro follows what officials describe as a broader policy shift by top security organs barring foreign nationals from engaging in political activities within Kenya.
“Should foreigners come with sinister political motives, we will disallow them entry or track them and deport them to their origin,” the official added.
During interrogation, Kagoro reportedly denied the accusations, saying his visit was for a family engagement and a speaking event on critical minerals and artificial intelligence. He acknowledged maintaining contacts with Kenyan activists but rejected claims of coordinating unrest.
Security sources allege that some of his public appearances — including attending a Judiciary Accountability Report launch in December and a technology innovators’ forum in April — doubled as networking platforms.
Investigators have pointed to alleged links between Kagoro’s activities and the Open Society Foundations, the global philanthropic network established by billionaire George Soros.
The foundation has previously faced scrutiny from sections of Kenya’s political establishment, particularly following the 2024 protests, with officials questioning whether foreign philanthropic funding amounts to political interference.
Kagoro is a co-founder of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and has maintained a two-decade presence in Nairobi, where he became a key figure within regional governance and democracy networks.
Colleagues have described him as an “intellectual anchor” within East Africa’s civic space, known more for behind-the-scenes strategy sessions and donor linkages than frontline protest activity. Critics, however, argue such influence operates without public accountability.
Security sources further alleged that Kagoro participated in encrypted WhatsApp coordination channels and is under investigation over alleged involvement in election-related unrest in Tanzania, though no details were provided.
Officials say months of surveillance and tracking preceded his airport interception, reflecting what they describe as enhanced targeting capacity within Kenya’s security apparatus.
The deportation removes a significant node in what authorities characterize as a transnational activist network. However, observers note that while an individual may be expelled, the broader infrastructure of cross-border civic engagement — fellowships, donor programs, and strategy platforms — remains intact.
For the government, the move establishes a clear precedent: foreign nationals perceived to be organizing or financing domestic political disruption will face removal, regardless of their human rights credentials or institutional affiliations.
Kagoro has not publicly commented since his deportation.
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