By AFPMore by this AuthorNAIROBIThe government of Kenya is hostile towards human rights activists and organisations, according to a report issued Wednesday that warned of safety concerns ahead of the country's 8 August elections. Since taking power in 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta's "administration has been showing open hostility towards human rights defenders, considered as enemies of the State serving foreign interests to destabilise the country," The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders said. Charges against both men were eventually dropped but the antipathy towards non-governmental organisations, especially those focused on human rights, remains. Its 50-page report, titled "2017 Elections: Broken Promises Put Human Rights Defenders at Risk", details the violence and pressures faced by Kenyan human rights activists and organisations. Cases include the 2016 kidnap, torture and murder of rights lawyer Willy Kimani, which caused uproar in the country.

Source: Daily Nation May 03, 2017 15:59 UTC