Kenya’s crackdown goes digital, Amnesty warns

Kenyan authorities have deployed a mix of digital surveillance, coordinated disinformation, online harassment and violent policing to suppress the country’s youth-led protest movement, Amnesty International says in a new report documenting an escalation in attacks on online activists.

According to the report, the social media platforms that powered mass mobilization during the protests against the Finance Bill have now become key targets in a widening crackdown. Young people relied heavily on TikTok and X to organize demonstrations, share legal information and “expose alleged corruption.” But Amnesty says the same platforms were exploited by state agencies for “intimidation, threats, incitement to hatred and unlawful surveillance.”

Testimony gathered by the rights group indicates that online threats often preceded physical actions such as “arrests, abductions and raids,” reflecting what Amnesty describes as a fusion of digital surveillance with traditional repression. Activists reported suspected access to their phone data, geolocation tracking, and the use of facial-recognition systems in Nairobi to monitor their movements.

A late-2024 investigation by the Daily Nation revealed that Kenyan security agencies have long enjoyed near-unrestricted, real-time access to Safaricom, largest telecommunication provider, subscribers’ call and location data. This access, the investigation found, is enabled by a data-management system developed by UK-based Neural Technologies and embedded directly into Safaricom’s internal infrastructure. Although Kenyan police are legally required to obtain court orders before retrieving call records, interviews with Safaricom staff and officers suggested that the data is frequently accessed informally, bypassing official procedures.

The Nation also traced the system’s origins to a 2012 partnership between Safaricom and Neural Technologies, which restructured the telco’s databases to automate law-enforcement access and enable real-time phone tracking.

Women protesters faced additional risks. Amnesty documented extensive tech-facilitated gender-based violence, including “sexualized images, doxxing and AI-generated pornographic content.” Much of the abuse appeared to be coordinated through pro-government online networks, contributing to what Amnesty says is a “chilling effect” on women’s rights.

The report further identifies large-scale disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting civil society groups and the protest movement. “Paid influencers, political operatives and organized troll networks” allegedly circulated fabricated content portraying activists as foreign-funded. Amnesty links these operations to a longer history of digital manipulation in Kenya’s political landscape.

The organization also received reports of internet slowdowns on key protest days, which activists say hampered mobilization and limited the spread of videos documenting police violence. Authorities have denied deliberately restricting internet speeds

Amnesty raises additional concerns over surveillance practices, including alleged warrantless access to phone records, monitoring of encrypted communications, and suspected use of spyware against activists. “We were told that Safaricom was involved, maybe they track you,” one activist told the group.

Kenyan authorities have increasingly used the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act to prosecute critics. Amnesty cites several arrests under broadly worded or vague offenses such as “false publications or unauthorized interference.” Those detained included bloggers, developers and social media users, prompting warnings that the law is being weaponized to criminalize digital dissent.

Amnesty also connects online activism to a rise in enforced disappearances and killings. Dozens of protesters who gained visibility on social media have been abducted or found dead since mid-2024, according to the report.

The report notes that government officials initially denied accusations of abductions and extrajudicial killings. President William Ruto later acknowledged wrongdoing by security forces but has since made remarks blaming social media for “anti-social” behavior, while senior officials have made comments interpreted as giving police broad latitude to use force.

Amnesty warns that digital repression is now a central feature of Kenya’s response to dissent, describing an “integrated system” that blends online surveillance, information manipulation, legal pressure and violent policing.

Since the protests erupted nationwide, widespread violence has followed, claiming numerous lives and spreading across the country. The unrest has been driven by mounting frustration over rising living costs and soaring unemployment, while the government has been accused of responding with excessive and often brutal force.

In July, President Ruto told police officers that “anyone caught burning another person’s business or property should be shot in the leg, hospitalized and later taken to court. Don’t kill them, but ensure their legs are broken.” Asked about the remarks earlier this month, Ruto defended the directive.

Amnesty International’s latest report adds to the growing body of documentation detailing violence against protesters by Kenyan security forces, reinforcing long-standing concerns about state repression during the anti-government demonstrations.