Haki Africa has called for Kenya’s political debate to shift back to the issues affecting ordinary people, warning that rising hardship and worsening rights abuses are being crowded out by referendum talk and early positioning for 2022.
The rights group says many Kenyans are under pressure from the cost of living, fuel taxes, inflation, transport costs and a heavy wage bill. It also points to reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and other abuses in places including Kisauni, Mathare, Kondele and Majengo.
According to the group, the country’s leadership has lost focus on what people need most. It argues that the reform agenda is being driven by political interests rather than the concerns of wananchi, with corruption, unemployment, insecurity and women’s rights pushed to the margins.
Haki Africa says Kenya already has a record of past reform efforts that should be implemented instead of being ignored. It cites the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) report, the Ndung’u Report on Illegal and Irregular Land Acquisition, the Kriegler Report on the 2007 General Election and the Waki Report on Post-Election Violence.
The group says the push for a referendum has not been properly explained to the public and is being used to advance political ambitions. It says leaders are speaking more about realignments and sharing positions than about the issues that affect households every day.
Haki Africa is now calling for a judicial inquiry into extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. While it acknowledges the Director of Public Prosecutions’ efforts in such cases, it says the security sector must support those efforts if accountability is to be achieved.
On constitutional reform, the group wants the Bill of Rights expanded to expressly cover extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances as human rights abuses. It says the law should also compel authorities to deal with those violations urgently.
The organisation says Kenyans should not allow politicians to control the reform agenda for selfish gain. It is urging wananchi to reclaim the debate, defend their rights and keep attention on development, equality and livelihoods.
Haki Africa also says politicians hold office in trust and should be judged on whether they deliver a better future. It says leaders who pursue personal agendas should be rejected and held to account for failing the public.
