IPOA and Rights Agencies Confront Anti-Demonstration Bill.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has joined forces with independent government agencies like the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and National Police Service Commission to oppose the passing of the Assembly and Demonstration Bill of 2024, which aims to regulate public demonstrations. 

It proposes strict rules for organizing protests, such as requiring pre-event notifications, limiting the use of placards, singing, and dancing during demonstrations, and making participants liable for property damage and clean-up fees. In attempting to make protests difficult and silence protestor’s voices, the bill threatens citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly, enshrined under article 37. 

The bill, which was first introduced at the height of youth-led protests across Kenya, also proposes expanding the power of law enforcement authorities to stop protests on vaguely defined grounds like maintaining public order. It also aims to prohibit protestors from wearing masks or face coverings, which can risk protestors’ privacy and safety from police force like tear gas. If the Assembly and Demonstration Bill passes, it could increase police violence and abuse of power against citizens, weakening human rights and labor movements across the continent.

As an independent institution that monitors and investigates police misconduct against civilians,  IPOA is responding by calling on Members of Parliament to uphold international rights standards and constitutional provisions in national safety laws. 

This situation reflects broader concerns in Africa and across the world, where citizens increasingly face state suppression limiting their capacity for collective movements in the name of public safety, such as the United States’ recent efforts to detain and deport pro-Palestinian student activists.