Amnesty International’s latest report accuses the Kenyan government of using technology to suppress the 2024–2025 Gen Z protests, documenting a pattern of violence, intimidation and digital repression tied to the demonstrations against the Finance Bill. The findings outline 128 killings, 83 enforced disappearances and more than 3,000 arbitrary arrests, painting a stark picture of how security agencies responded to months of youth-led dissent.
How Did Technology Allegedly Fuel the Crackdown on Protesters?
According to the report, authorities relied on online harassment, targeted disinformation and unlawful surveillance to weaken protest momentum and intimidate vocal youth. Amnesty states that security agencies allegedly accessed phone data, location records and private communications, often without court authorization. The organisation warns that such practices created a climate of fear, allowing security forces to track movement, identify organisers and intervene before protests fully formed.
The report also highlights failures by platform X, accusing it of allowing coordinated hate and disinformation campaigns to circulate widely. Activists were reportedly targeted with false narratives, character attacks and digital mobbing that made online spaces increasingly hostile. As described by Amnesty International Head of Programmes Victor Odede, “Online harassment and smear campaigns became the core tools of the states to undermine the credibility of the government critics… some of these tactics facilitated and were later used in killings and enforced disappearances.”
These tactics, according to Amnesty, worked in tandem with physical force on the streets, making digital repression a key part of the broader protest response strategy.
What Concerns Did Amnesty Raise About Surveillance and State Overreach?
The organisation’s Executive Director Irungu Houghton voiced strong concerns about the scale of state intrusion into private data and communications. He said, “Massive intrusion of surveillance has taken place over the last one year… many of the cases we have discussed are related to serious crimes related to deaths, enforced disappearance.” His remarks underscore Amnesty’s worry that surveillance practices expanded far beyond lawful limits, affecting both activists and ordinary citizens caught in the protest environment.
With documented killings, disappearances, digital targeting and widespread arrests, the report places heavy responsibility on state agencies while calling for transparent investigations and accountability. For many young people who took part in the protests, the findings mirror their lived experiences both online and offline.
The report now adds pressure on oversight bodies, human rights institutions and digital platforms to address the allegations and prevent future violations as Kenya continues to navigate youth activism, public accountability and the evolving role of technology in civic movements.
By Yockshard Enyendi