Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. It is my utmost honor and pleasure to be part of this momentous occasion as we celebrate the International Human Rights Day 2025, marking 78 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and 80 years of the United Nations. Today we are not just marking a date on the calendar; we are reflecting on how human rights shape our daily lives, every single day, for every person in Kenya and across the world.
2. This year’s theme, “HUMAN RIGHTS: OUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS”, speaks very directly to our reality. Human rights are not distant concepts reserved for reports or courtrooms. They are the everyday guarantees that allow each one of us to learn safely, to work with dignity, to walk our streets without fear, to access care when we are unwell, to belong in our communities, and to express ourselves freely, both offline and online.
3. Human rights provide a universal standard that holds everyone to account, both state and non–state actors with the state actors having a
higher threshold for accountability for their various acts of omission and commission considering that state is the primary, duty bearer on promotion and protection of human rights. Kenya as a Country boasts of a robust Constitution with the Bill of Rights under Chapter 4 being arguably one of the most progressive in the world with a broad range of civil-political rights, Economic Social, and Cultural (ECOSOC) rights, and group rights for vulnerable and marginalized groups being expressly affirmed.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4. As we commemorate Human Rights Day 2025 under this years’ theme, we must recognize that human rights are not luxuries, they are essentials.
a) When a child is denied quality education or health care because their parents cannot afford it, that is not just poverty; it is a denial of a basic human right.
b) When a peaceful protester is subjected to tear-gas, live fire, or arbitrary arrest, that is not just unrest; it is a violation of civil and political rights.
c) When a woman lives in fear of gender-based violence, or a journalist fears to report, the safety and dignity of our society is compromised.
d) When young people cannot find dignified employment, or are pushed into risky informal jobs, we are failing at securing their future and undermining human potential.
5. This year’s commemoration holds great importance, as our nation marks 15 years since the enactment of the 2010 Constitution that
prioritizes human dignity, equality, and social justice within our governance framework. This encourages us not only to contemplate the progress we have made but also to renew our dedication to the path forward as the nation gradually gears up for the 2027 General Elections.
6. The Commission recognizes the significant advancements made towards enhancing human rights frameworks, which includes extensive stakeholder consultations for the formulation of the National Human Rights Policy and Action Plan, the commencement of Kenya’s three- year term on the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the successful conclusion of our fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Ladies and Gentlemen,
7. Despite the progress made towards the protection and promotion of rights, the year was marked by human rights violations that
undermined the State’s commitment to protection and promotion of human rights. The Commission remains deeply concerned by shrinking
civic space.
8. Yesterday, the KNCHR launched its state of human rights report for the period 2024 to 2025 where we reflected on progress made since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution and also the areas where there has been no progress. In the report the Commission reported having documented 2,848 complaints of human rights violations. Of these, ECOSOC rights, access to healthcare, education, housing, food and social protection, remained the most violated.
9. This launch came at the same time when civil and political rights violations remain rampant: arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances,
torture, and extrajudicial killings. KNCHR recorded 57 deaths linked to violations of the right to life, and 661 complaints of violations of the right to freedom and security of the person during this period.
10. Our monitoring established the presence of hooded and unidentifiable officers, the infiltration of peaceful protests by
organized groups/goons, and patterns of intimidation aimed at journalists and human rights defenders. These actions are illegal, unconstitutional, and inconsistent with Kenya's commitments under the regional and international human rights treaties to which we are a State Party.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
11. Today, I call upon all stakeholders: government, civil society, communities, and individual citizens, to commit to concrete steps to make human rights real and tangible in everyday Kenyan lives.
To the Government:
a) Prioritise economic and social rights: expand access to affordable healthcare, ensure adequate funding for education, guarantee food and housing security especially for the most vulnerable, and social protection for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities.
b) Ensure accountability for violations: fully operationalize the National Coroners Service Act to investigate suspicious deaths, expedite investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) into police abuses, enforced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings, and bring perpetrators to justice.
c) Protect civic space and freedom of expression: review or withdraw any laws or bills that threaten media freedom, civil society operations, or the right to peaceful assembly, and ensure that laws on digital rights and public order conform to constitutional guarantees.
d) Strengthen social safety nets and youth empowerment: invest in job creation, support youth entrepreneurship, mental health services for activists and journalists, and targeted programmes especially in marginalized, rural and arid areas.
KNCHR’s Commitments
12. On behalf of KNCHR, I reaffirm our dedication to making human rights real, everyday essentials for all Kenyans through:
a) Robust Documentation & Reporting: We will continue gathering credible data on all forms of human rights violations: civil, political, economic, social and cultural, and publish regular, evidence-based reports to inform national debate and policymaking.
b) Access to justice: We commit to expanding our services, especially for vulnerable communities (youth, persons with disabilities, rural and marginalized areas) and ensuring that no Kenyan is denied access to justice because of poverty or marginalization.
c) Advocacy for Reforms: We will work with the Government and Parliament to enact and implement legislation that strengthens protection of rights, including security sector reforms, social protection policies, and guarantees for civic space and press freedom.
d) Public Awareness & Rights Education: We will continue to undertake campaigns to educate citizens, young and old, about their rights, including in local languages, and work with communities to embed human rights in everyday Kenya: in schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods.
e) Support for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists: We will advocate for the establishment of formal protection mechanisms, psychosocial support, legal protection, rapid-response support when defenders face threats, and we will monitor attempts to shrink civic space.
13. Finally, as the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), our commitment is to continue working with all partners to move this country towards a true human rights culture. In doing so, we affirm that human rights are indeed our everyday essentials, and not a privilege for a few but a lived reality for all persons in Kenya.
“Human rights, our everyday essentials – for everyone, everywhere.”
Haki kwa Wote, Kila Wakati.
Claris Ogangah,
Chairperson,
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).