Inter-Religious Council of Kenya Executive Director Linus Nthiga/COURTESY
Religious leaders, lawyers and human rights groups have condemned the violent disruption of a public forum on the 2026-27 budget at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, warning that the growing use of 'goons' to silence civic engagement threatens Kenya's democracy and the rule of law.
The Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Defenders Coalition separately denounced Friday's attack and called for swift investigations to identify and prosecute those behind it.
In a statement, the Inter-Religious Council said it was appalled by the disruption of what it described as a peaceful multi-stakeholder forum that had brought together citizens, civil society organisations, faith leaders and private sector actors to discuss the national budget and its impact on ordinary Kenyans.
“We view the use of violence and intimidation to silence public discourse as a grave affront to democracy and the constitutional rights enshrined in our nation's laws,” the council said.
The council warned that the incident was part of a worrying trend in which organised groups are increasingly being deployed to disrupt lawful civic engagements.
“The increasing reliance on goons to disrupt lawful civic engagements and instil fear in citizens undermines the very foundations of our democracy and national security,” it said.
The religious leaders urged the government and security agencies to uphold the rule of law and ensure those responsible are held accountable.
“We therefore call upon the Government and security agencies to uphold the rule of law, protect peaceful assemblies, and ensure those responsible for this heinous attack are brought to justice,” the statement signed by Executive Director Linus Nthiga said.
The LSK also weighed in, calling for accountability not only for perpetrators but also for those who sponsor and organise such attacks.
LSK President Charles Kanjama said ending the phenomenon of political goonism would require relentless pursuit of those responsible, regardless of their status.
“The effective way to address the growth of goonism, whether by members of the National Police Service or by irregular groups, is to pursue accountability for the perpetrators and particularly their sponsors, accessories and principals, with bulldog tenacity until they are held to account,” Kanjama said.
“Regardless of how high or to whom the chain of accountability goes.”
Kanjama said the lawyers' body would work closely with human rights defenders and civil society organisations to confront what he termed an emerging threat to constitutional freedoms.
“It is time we said enough to the goonism phenomenon and meant it,” he said.
The Defenders Coalition, which describes itself as the national coalition of human rights defenders in Kenya, linked the incident to a broader pattern of attacks targeting civil society actors and human rights organisations.
The organisation said more than 100 people, including staff from the Kenya Human Rights Commission, Transparency International Kenya, The Institute for Social Accountability, human rights defenders and members of the public, were affected when armed individuals disrupted the budget forum.
“This latest incident is indicative of a broader, systemic campaign targeting civic actors in Kenya,” the coalition said.
The group cited previous incidents, including an alleged unlawful entry by law enforcement officers into the Mathare Social Justice Centre on June 11 and the violent disruption of a press briefing at the Kenya Human Rights Commission offices in July 2025.
According to the coalition, no arrests have been made in relation to some of the previous incidents despite reports having been filed with police.
“Despite a formal police report and the submission of comprehensive evidence to law enforcement, no suspects have been apprehended,” it said.
The coalition further alleged that during nationwide demonstrations in 2025, human rights monitors observed masked civilians operating alongside police officers in several counties.
“The attacks are highly coordinated ploys to harass, intimidate and subdue the voice of civil society when they are conducting their lawful work,” the coalition said.
It warned that failure to address the growing insecurity facing human rights defenders could have serious consequences for the country.
“The insecurity, if not nipped in the bud, risks plunging the country into a lawless state,” the statement said.
The latest condemnation comes amid mounting pressure on authorities to investigate the attack on the budget forum and guarantee protection for citizens exercising their constitutional rights to free expression, association and public participation.
Civil society organisations have argued that public participation in budget-making is a constitutional requirement and that any attempts to intimidate participants undermine democratic governance and accountability.
