Kenya has come under increasing pressure from the United States to take action on security officers involved in brutality in the crackdown on peaceful protesters.
Less than two weeks after the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken passed a similar message to President William Ruto on the phone, his Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya delivered the same to him in person.
“Let your actions match your words,” she said in respect to holding police accountable for the deaths and trampling of civil liberties in response to protests against his government.
Zeya said that the police should protect and not terrorise the citizenry, and where they violate this principle as has been witnessed during the protests, they should be answerable to the people for their actions.
“I encourage President Ruto to take concrete action on his recent public pledges to strengthen the rule of law, strengthen anti-corruption initiatives and advance accountability within his own government,” she said.
“I think the key question is the implementation of these commitments, into action. And one specific area is the importance of investigating reports of security forces abuses, prosecuting those responsible and ensuring that accountability is achieved.”
As for whether there will be consequences should the US government’s call for the respect of human rights go unheeded, Zeya said “It’s well known that US security assistance and partnership cooperation programmes are also subject to US law that requires that we are vigilant with respect to our partners upholding human rights and where there are allegations of gross violations of human rights, we have to be attentive and call for accountability.”
She denied the US government has turned a blind eye to these violations after it bestowed the great honour of a State Visit on Ruto two months ago.
“Throughout the protests led by our embassy but supported by my boss US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, we have urged the government of Kenya to conduct prompt, transparent investigations into allegations of violence and hold those responsible accountable,” she said.
She also insisted free and independent media are indispensable to thriving democracies.
She demanded restraint from police when dealing with peaceful protesters.
Zeya said she had engaged top government officials over the security agencies’ conduct to register her concerns.
“In my discussions with President Ruto and senior Kenyan officials, I condemned violence committed against peaceful protestors, human rights defenders, and journalists, and urged protection of the fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression, as enshrined in Kenya’s constitution.”
“I also underscored the critical importance of security forces exercising restraint, rejecting violence in all its forms, and prompt investigations of and accountability for disappearances, excessive use of force, and other human rights abuses,” she said.
She said it was her first visit to Kenya and a time when the country is experiencing youth-led protests over among others graft.
During her trip in the country, she met Ruto, National Security Advisor Dr. Juma, Chief Justice Martha Koome, and senior officials from the Interior Ministry, law enforcement, and anti-corruption sectors.
The institutions include Independent Policing Oversight Authority, DCI and EACC.
This comes at a time when over 60 people have been killed in the protests and more than 400 injured.
Human rights organizations say more than 60 people are missing after being abducted by state agencies.
These were committed by agencies trying to quell the protests.
Zeya spoke at the US embassy in Nairobi at the conclusion of her trip to Kenya.
She said she also heard from and engaged Kenya’s vibrant civil society, including young changemakers and democratic reformers, working to advance a better future for all Kenyans.
“As President Biden declared in welcoming President Ruto to Washington for his historic State visit, our two nations have shared responsibility to meet “together, as partners – for security, for prosperity, for innovation, and most importantly, for democracy.”
“That common cause and impetus is what brought me to Kenya, with three overarching goals: first, to strengthen our partnership in support of democratic reform and rights-respecting civilian security; second, to deepen our collaboration on shared regional and global challenges and third, to expand our humanitarian cooperation to support marginalized and vulnerable populations,” she said.
She said her visit comes at a challenging moment for Kenyan democracy after the government response to youth-led protests took many innocent lives.
“I extend my deepest condolences for all loss of life and sympathies to those injured.”
Zeya said she welcomed government steps to address the root causes of protesters’ concerns, strengthen public trust, and take further action to embrace dialogue and national reconciliation.
“Democracy requires constant work and, as we acknowledge the progress that Kenya has made, we must also recognize the work that remains to be done in terms of police accountability and human-centered security.”
“To this end, I encouraged President Ruto to take concrete action on his recent public pledges to strengthen rule of law, champion anti-corruption initiatives, and advance accountability within his own government,” she said.
She said the United States is deeply appreciative of Kenya’s active leadership in addressing conflict across the African continent and around the world including Northern Ethiopia, eastern DRC, and South Sudan to recent efforts combating al-Shabaab extremists in Somalia, Kenya plays a leading role in advancing regional peace and security.
She also welcomed Kenya’s leadership of the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti.
“This vital effort, for which we are contributing $300 million in U.S. logistics, equipment, and materiel support, will help bring much-needed relief to the Haitian people.”
She said she also emphasized with Kenyan counterparts their longstanding partnership in supporting refugees, asylum-seekers, and other vulnerable populations in need. “As the fifth largest refugee host on the African continent, Kenya plays an immense and generous role in hosting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people fleeing conflict and persecution.”
“We welcome and recognize Kenya’s efforts to promote the socioeconomic inclusion of refugees, including the innovative Shirika Plan to transition refugee camps into integrated settlements,” she said.
She said the US provided more than $306 million in humanitarian assistance across Kenya, including nearly $55 million specifically for refugee response.
“We also appreciate Kenya’s partnership in helping us reach our target of resettling a record number of refugees from the African continent by the end of this fiscal year — one more example of how deeper cooperation benefits both our societies.”
