This joint stakeholder report focuses on key issues relating to human rights in the digital context in Kenya, including digital connectivity and inclusion, freedom of expression online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), particularly its impact on human and women’s rights defenders. The report draws on extensive and ongoing monitoring of the situation of human rights online in Kenya by a number of civil society organisations, particularly the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), and a desk review.
This review marks the fourth cycle for Kenya in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. During the third cycle, the importance of issues relating to freedom of expression, access to information, data privacy and freedom of the press was demonstrated by Kenya receiving 13 recommendations related to these issues, including two relating to data protection and the right to privacy, two on hate speech, nine relating to freedom of expression and protection of journalists and human rights defenders from attacks and intimidation, and two recommendations on access to information. Commendably, the government of Kenya accepted all of these recommendations.