Kenya’s youthful lawmaker, MP Njeri Maina, has urged US President Donald Trump, the US Congress, and international human rights institutions to intervene against what she termed as harassment and brutality targeting Kenyan youths during protests.
Speaking at a meeting in Seattle, USA, on Wednesday evening, Maina called on the international community to hold the Kenyan government accountable for its handling of demonstrations. She demanded full-scale investigations into the alleged misuse of counter-terrorism laws against young people and accountability for lives lost.
“I want to call on our counterparts in various governments, including the US government, the Congress and human rights institutions, to demand protection for the Kenyan youth. There must be bilateral aid on human rights compliance and investigations on the many young people who have lost their lives,” Maina stated.
The MP noted that while the government had introduced compensation measures for victims’ families, justice remained elusive for those who lost loved ones during protests. She emphasized that financial compensation alone could not substitute justice or closure for grieving parents.
Maina further stressed that bilateral cooperation and aid agreements with Kenya should be tied to strict human rights compliance, warning that failure to address systemic abuses would only perpetuate cycles of violence and unrest.
Her remarks come in the wake of a wave of nationwide protests witnessed over the past four months. On June 25, 2025, demonstrations commemorating victims of last year’s anti-Finance Bill protests turned deadly, with at least 10 people killed. Just weeks later, on July 7 (Saba Saba Day), fresh protests left 11 dead and over 500 injured, according to human rights organizations.
Maina insisted that international legal interventions would be vital in delivering fairness and relief to the affected families. “There must be justice so that Kenyan parents who lost their children can find peace and closure,” she said.
