Why East Africa's civic space must be protected

The civic space in East Africa is shrinking, with freedoms under strain, and those who defend them increasingly at great personal risk. Yet amid the shadows, resilience persists, and with it, a renewed call for solidarity, accountability, and collaboration to protect the right to speak, organise and hope for a better tomorrow.

The Gen Z-led protests in June 2024 over governance, corruption, and economic frustration reshaped public discourse. Young Kenyans, armed with smartphones and hashtags demanded accountability - and paid a heavy price.

Dozens of activists were arrested, some disappeared, and others lost their lives. This decentralised movement reignited a conversation that extends beyond Kenya’s borders. It reflects a generational demand for dignity, justice, and a political system that serves the people. It has also exposed the fragility of Kenya’s civic space.

“The fight for freedom is becoming lonelier, even as the numbers grow,” one participant observed at a recent learning workshop organised by PAWA254 in collaboration with URAIA.

This loneliness is not unique to Kenya. Across East Africa, human rights defenders and journalists face intimidation, censorship, and exile. Repression now includes arbitrary arrests, surveillance, digital harassment, and restrictive laws disguised as security measures.

The recent Tanzanian elections offered a reminder of regional parallels, with reports of malpractice, media clampdowns, and persecution of opposition voices. In Uganda, human rights organisations continue to be deregistered on vague grounds, while peaceful protests are met with force.

In Ethiopia, civil society actors operate under intense pressure. Even in seemingly stable countries, freedoms of expression, association, and assembly remain vulnerable. These realities highlight the need for stronger regional solidarity. The protection of civic space cannot be pursued in isolation. When freedoms erode in one country, the entire region is weakened.

Human rights defenders are the unsung heroes of East Africa’s democratic story. They work in villages, slums, courtrooms, and boardrooms documenting abuses, supporting victims, and holding power to account. But, they do so with little protection. The PAWA254 workshop exposed the emotional toll of this work.

HRDs spoke of burnout, threats to their families, digital surveillance, online abuse, and constant fear of detention or abduction. “You can’t defend others when you are constantly broken inside,” one HRD remarked. Donors, embassies, and civil society organisations must therefore invest not only in advocacy tools but also in HRDs’ mental health, safety, and well-being.

Kenya and its neighbours stand at a crossroads. The region’s democratic future depends on how governments respond to citizen voices, and how citizens organise to defend their rights. Youth activism, digital mobilisation, and artistic expression offer hope, with spaces like PAWA254 nurturing creativity and resistance.

But hope must be matched with action. Restrictive laws must be repealed, and independent institutions strengthened. Defending human rights is not a Western ideal; it is the foundation of peaceful, prosperous societies. When HRDs are silenced, citizens follow. When freedoms shrink, economies falter. But where freedoms are protected, nations thrive.

-The writer is co-founder and executive director of the PAWA254 Initiative