The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) condemned the government’s deportation of Brian Kagoro, the Africa Director of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), terming it an illegal and unjustified rendition that signals a deepening crackdown on civic actors ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Kagoro was intercepted by immigration officials on February 22 upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. According to KHRC, he was detained for 14 hours and subjected to intensive interrogation before being verbally declared persona non grata and placed on a flight to South Africa.
Authorities allegedly accused him of funding the Gen Z-led protests that swept across Kenya in 2024 and 2025 — claims rights groups say are politically motivated and unsupported by evidence.
In a strongly worded statement, KHRC described the move as “an act of aggression and a direct assault on the work of human rights defenders across the region,” warning that it reflects an entrenched pattern of transnational repression.
“This arbitrary action constitutes a gross violation of constitutional guarantees,” the commission said, arguing that Kagoro was denied due process, legal representation, access to family, and written reasons for the government’s decision.
KHRC cited Article 47 of the Constitution, which guarantees every person the right to lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair administrative action. The rights body maintains those safeguards were blatantly ignored.
The commission linked Kagoro’s removal to the broader shrinking of civic space in East Africa, referencing reports by CIVICUS Monitor, which in its 2024 and 2026 assessments classified Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as “repressed.”
Kagoro, a longtime Pan-Africanist and democracy advocate, has engaged in Kenya in various capacities over the years, making his sudden targeting “alarming and unjustifiable,” KHRC said.
The deportation also follows the July 2025 rendition of KHRC’s Martin Mavenjina to Uganda — an incident that remains unresolved. KHRC argues that the two cases point to a deliberate policy of targeting outspoken human rights defenders.
As the country edges closer to the 2027 polls, the commission accused the government of attempting to deflect responsibility for the widespread youth-led protests by attributing them to foreign influence instead of addressing domestic grievances tied to economic hardship and governance concerns.
KHRC further pointed to the now-invalidated gazettement of a panel of experts on compensation for victims of demonstrations — a role constitutionally assigned to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) — as evidence of what it termed contradictions within government messaging.
The commission is now demanding the immediate reversal of the decision barring Kagoro from Kenya and his unconditional right to enter and work in the country. It also wants the National Intelligence Service and the Immigration Department to provide a written explanation, issue a public apology, and guarantee non-repetition.
Additionally, KHRC has urged the Commission on Administrative Justice and KNCHR to open independent investigations into what it calls a growing trend of renditions targeting civic actors.
The government has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
For now, the deportation has ignited fresh debate over Kenya’s commitment to constitutionalism, human rights protections, and the rule of law at a politically sensitive moment in the country’s democratic trajectory.
