Activists Demand Arrest of "Goons" who Attacked Colleagues, Journalist

Human rights defenders in Mombasa have demanded the arrest of people they allege were captured on camera assaulting activists and journalists during Wednesday’s chaos at the Mombasa County Assembly.

A human rights defender affiliated with Vocal Africa was injured during the confrontation and rushed to Pandya Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A Nation Media Group photojournalist, Karim Rajan, was also allegedly attacked while documenting youths who were attempting to access the Assembly grounds to present a memorandum.

Speaking to journalists outside the hospital, the rights defenders, led by Vocal Africa chief executive officer Khalid Hussein, said the alleged attackers were known and should be arrested and investigated for assault.

Mr Hussein also accused police officers at the scene of failing to take action against the alleged attackers despite witnessing the confrontation.

“We are warning the police that they should take heed of what the IG said about police officers taking personal responsibilities for their actions,” he said.
The activists said their female colleague, Salma Hemed of She Rises, was also assaulted during the incident.

“She is limping since the attack after she was violently pushed by a goon who was brought to stop us from accessing the Assembly,” Mr Hussein said.

The rights defenders accused unnamed individuals of deploying youths to disrupt public gatherings and intimidate activists seeking to present their grievances to public institutions.

Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) rapid response officer Francis Auma warned that the growing use of youths to cause disruption in Mombasa could pose a serious threat as the country approaches the 2027 General Election.

“Mombasa is leading in goonism. We are heading to the election and if this goonism culture persists, then we are afraid of what will happen during the 2027 General Elections,” Mr Auma said.

Haki Africa rapid response officer Mathias Shipeta similarly warned politicians against recruiting or misusing unemployed youths to cause chaos during political meetings and public gatherings.
He said such actions could undermine the right to peaceful assembly and create an environment of fear ahead of the elections.

The rights defenders called on the police to investigate the incident, identify those captured in footage allegedly assaulting activists and journalists, and take appropriate legal action.

They also urged political leaders to discourage violence and respect the right of citizens, activists and journalists to access public institutions and document events of public interest.

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