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Sunday, 16 August 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Sunday, 16 August 2026
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Kenyan press · Organization

Human Rights Watch

Also known as: HRW

Organization that sued Trump administration over ICC sanctions and has documented forced recruitment in Tigray.

2026-05-062026-08-16
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In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. May 2026

  2. Citizen Digital

    … Human Rights Watch, urging African nations to reject the arrangements, argued in September that the "opaque deals" were "part of a US policy approach that violated international human rights law".

    Sierra Leone receives migrants deported from US

  3. The Standard

    … Masra, a former prime minister and a leading opponent of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, was arrested in May 2025.In August 2025, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for inciting violence and complicity to murder in what Human Rights Watch called a politically motivated tr …

    Chad opposition figure to remain in prison after court rejects appeal

  4. Citizen Digital

    … Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have previously criticised forced evictions in Mogadishu, saying thousands of displaced families fleeing drought and conflict have been removed without notice or alternative shelter. …

    Somalia Opposition calls for mega protests days before election over forced evictions

  5. Citizen Digital

    … Last week, the Human Rights Watch said it "mimics" laws passed in Russia and allied countries, using deliberately vague terms that can be applied to any campaigner deemed a nuisance. …

    Uganda approves Russian-style 'foreign agents' law
World & Region

Israeli strike on Lebanon south kills seven, worst since June

The News

Lebanon state media reports an Israeli airstrike on a home on the outskirts of the village of Ansar killed seven people and wounded three on Saturday, the highest toll since a June ceasefire framework between Israel and Hezbollah. The strike was part of what the National News Agency described as an escalation of Israeli attacks in the south, including airstrikes on the Ali al-Taher ridge and shelling in the Nabatieh area.

15 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Yesterday

  1. Israeli strike on Lebanon south kills seven, worst since June

    Lebanon state media reports an Israeli airstrike on a home on the outskirts of the village of Ansar killed seven people and wounded three on Saturday, the highest toll since a June ceasefire framework between Israel and Hezbollah. The strike was part of what the National News Agency described as an escalation of Israeli attacks in the south, including airstrikes on the Ali al-Taher ridge and shelling in the Nabatieh area.

    15 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Wednesday 12 August

  1. Sudanese army violations worsen humanitarian crisis in Darfur

    Displaced civilians in Darfur face severe water shortages and contamination amid ongoing conflict in Sudan. The International Organization for Migration reported that more than 5,000 people were displaced from 10 villages in West Darfur in recent days due to escalating security tensions and clashes.

    12 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. US rights groups challenge Trump ICC sanctions in court

    US rights groups including Human Rights Watch sued President Trump over sanctions targeting International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors, arguing the measures violate First Amendment protections and block war crimes victims from pursuing justice.

    12 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Tuesday 11 August

  1. Rights groups sue Trump over ICC sanctions measures

    Four rights groups including Human Rights Watch filed a lawsuit in New York court challenging Trump administration sanctions on International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors, arguing the measures block victims of war crimes from pursuing justice and violate US law including First Amendment protections.

    11 August 2026 · The Standard →

Sunday 9 August

  1. DRC conflict narratives must address political failures, not just resources

    An opinion piece argues that decades of explanation for the eastern DRC conflict have focused narrowly on minerals, foreign interference, and military action while ignoring people's rights and political failures, and that finding a sustainable solution requires moving beyond these simplistic narratives to confront the conflict's underlying causes.

    9 August 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 4 August

  1. Kirinyaga leaders claim DCP blogger abducted by hooded gunmen

    Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina reported that Democracy for Citizens Party blogger Justin Kinyua was seized by hooded gunmen and taken to an unknown destination. Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango characterized the incident as misuse of state institutions to intimidate young people over their political views.

    4 August 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 29 July

  1. By-election in Ol Kalou mirrors African electoral malpractices

    An opinion piece warns that Kenya's Ol Kalou by-election—marked by distribution of gas cylinders, mattresses, and other goods timed suspiciously before voting—follows a pattern of electoral misconduct seen across East and Southern Africa. The piece argues that such practices represent slow-motion failures in election conduct that have become recognizable across the region.

    29 July 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 25 July

  1. ICC member states vote to dismiss prosecutor Khan

    International Criminal Court member states voted to remove prosecutor Karim Khan following allegations of sexual misconduct against a female staff member. Khan, who denies the allegations, was dismissed by 82 of 125 members for "serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty."

    25 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Tuesday 21 July

  1. Ol Kalou by-election reflects regional pattern of electoral misconduct

    An opinion piece compares the Ol Kalou by-election (called after MP David Njuguna Kiaraho's death in March 2026) to election irregularities across East Africa—gas cylinders, mattresses, and other incentives distributed to voters in the run-up to polling day—arguing that such misconduct follows a predictable regional pattern.

    21 July 2026 · The Standard →

Sunday 19 July

  1. Thousands rally in Addis Ababa against Tigray recruitment drive

    Thousands gathered in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday for a pro-government rally against an alleged forced recruitment campaign by authorities in the northern Tigray region. Human Rights Watch said security forces aligned with the TPLF were forcibly recruiting young men, including boys as young as 15.

    19 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. Hungary's president to sign constitutional change ending his term

    Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, an ally of former nationalist leader Viktor Orban, said he will sign a newly passed constitutional amendment that would end his term as head of state. The amendment was passed by lawmakers as part of pro-EU Prime Minister Peter Magyar's effort to loosen Orban's grip on the country following his landslide election victory in April.

    19 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Saturday 11 July

  1. Amnesty criticizes US deportation of migrants to Eswatini

    Amnesty International criticized the US deportation of 11 people to Eswatini as unlawful, accusing President Donald Trump's administration of "cruel and racist" anti-immigrant policies. The group was the fourth batch to arrive since July last year under a $5-million deal with Washington.

    11 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Sunday 5 July

  1. Human rights activists plan march on Parliament Tuesday

    Human rights activists plan a peaceful march to Parliament on Tuesday to petition lawmakers over extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. The march follows a notice submitted to police, with participants gathering at Jevanjee Gardens from 8 a.m. before processing through the CBD to Parliament.

    5 July 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 4 July

  1. Mali's military hit by coordinated jihadist and Tuareg attacks

    Jihadists and separatist Tuareg rebels launched coordinated attacks across Mali on Saturday, striking multiple northern and central towns and a prison near the capital. The attacks came two months after a similar operation in which the country's defence minister was killed.

    4 July 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 1 July

  1. Activist rejects state claim that missing persons are hiding

    Human rights activist Wafula Buke dismissed Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo's assertion that reported missing Kenyans are simply hiding to embarrass the state, arguing instead that enforced disappearances are a deliberate tactic to suppress dissent and isolate critics from legal protections. Buke noted that victims who reappear often have serious injuries and psychological trauma, and said the abductions contradict constitutional guarantees of the right to protest.

    1 July 2026 · The Standard →

Sunday 28 June

  1. Police investigate missing activist and torture allegations

    Activist Davis Lichuma has gone missing after recent protests near Parliament, while five other protesters arrested during the same June 25 demonstrations were found with torture injuries; police say they are investigating the disappearance and allegations of enforced disappearances and torture.

    28 June 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 25 June

  1. Integrated care crucial for GBV survivors' recovery and rehabilitation

    An opinion piece argues that integrated care at gender-based violence clinics is essential for managing and rehabilitating survivors, noting that GBV remains a pervasive human rights violation in Kenya with an estimated 13 women and girls killed weekly and approximately 130 sexual violence cases reported weekly.

    25 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. Police block Nairobi roads, use teargas on Gen Z anniversary demonstrators

    Police sealed off Nairobi with roadblocks and teargas on Thursday as Kenyans marked the second anniversary of the June 25, 2024, Gen Z demonstrations that left more than 120 people dead. Officers arrested protesters at multiple locations including Parliament Buildings and Kitengela, restricting movement to the city centre.

    25 June 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 23 June

  1. Police violence victims reject Kenya's compensation offer as inadequate

    Two years after Gen-Z protests in June 2024 that resulted in dozens of deaths, families of police violence victims say President Ruto's announcement of 2 billion shillings to compensate 1,100 affected people is insufficient and avoids accountability. According to the Independent Police Oversight Authority, 62 people died during the initial protests and 65 during anniversary protests in 2025, though rights groups estimate the toll is higher and say police were responsible.

    23 June 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 30 May

  1. Ghana parliament approves bill criminalizing LGBTQ+ identification

    Ghana's parliament has passed legislation that criminalizes homosexuality and LGBTQ+ activities, with penalties including up to three years' imprisonment for identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. The bill also introduces a duty to report such acts to police and could penalize allies of LGBTQ+ people; it requires presidential ratification before becoming law.

    30 May 2026 · Capital News →

Thursday 21 May

  1. Sierra Leone receives nine US-deported migrants from West Africa

    Sierra Leone became the latest African country to receive migrants expelled from the United States under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, with nine west African deportees from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and Senegal arriving Wednesday morning at Freetown's international airport.

    21 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. Chad opposition leader Masra remains jailed after appeal rejected

    Chad's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by opposition leader Succes Masra, a former prime minister arrested in May 2025 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for inciting violence and complicity to murder. Human Rights Watch said his continued detention demonstrates the government's intolerance of dissent.

    21 May 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 7 May

  1. Somalia opposition plans mass protests over forced evictions

    Somalia's opposition leaders, including former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, have called for mass protests in Mogadishu on Sunday over alleged forced evictions and demolitions of informal settlements that have displaced vulnerable residents over the past two years, escalating tensions days before President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term ends.

    7 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Wednesday 6 May

  1. Uganda parliament passes controversial foreign agents bill

    Uganda's parliament passed the "Protection of Sovereignty Bill," which criminalises actions promoting "the interests of a foreigner against those of Uganda" and labels foreign-funded recipients as "agents of foreigners," with convictions carrying sentences of up to 20 years. Rights groups and journalists have criticised the law for mirroring Russian language used to silence dissent.

    6 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Human Rights Watch — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute