Kipchumba Murkomen,CS for Interior.
By Peter Mwibanda.
Opinion – July 22, 2025 | Nairobi
NAIROBI, Kenya — In a troubling trend threatening democracy and human rights, governments around the world — including our own — are weaponizing the fight against terrorism to justify acts of repression.
Cloaked in the noble cause of “national security,” these states are trampling civil liberties, silencing dissent and criminalizing protest. The result? Institutions meant to protect citizens are starting to mirror the very terror they claim to combat.
We must call this what it is: state terror disguised as counterterrorism.
In recent weeks, the Kenyan government has faced criticism for filing terrorism-related charges against Gen Z protesters — young citizens exercising their constitutional rights to assemble and express themselves.
Peaceful demonstrators, many of them students and unemployed youth, are being hauled into police trucks, denied bail and held under anti-terror laws that allow prolonged detention without trial.
The law is being misused not to uphold justice, but to instill fear and suppress resistance.
Yet terrorism, as defined in both international and Kenyan law, refers to organized acts of violence intended to spread fear or coerce governments through violent means.
Protesting tax hikes, unemployment or corruption does not meet this threshold.
It is civil engagement — urgent, unpolished and patriotic. Branding it as terrorism is not only legally indefensible but morally corrupt.
This pattern is not unique to Kenya. In Egypt, critics of the government are routinely jailed on terror charges.
In India, students and activists have been imprisoned under anti-terror laws for protesting.
In Rwanda, journalists and dissenters disappear or resurface as “terror suspects” in court. In these cases, the state becomes the very terror it claims to eliminate.
Why is this happening?
First, because terrorism laws are often vague and overly broad. They grant governments unchecked powers — indefinite detention, secret trials, surveillance without warrants — all in the name of national security. Second, because global complicity allows it.
Western powers, distracted by strategic interests, often ignore or even endorse these abuses.
As long as the “war on terror” narrative sells, the world looks the other way.
Here at home, this tactic reveals a government unsure how to respond to an awakened citizenry.
Confronted by a rising tide of youthful consciousness, the state is choosing suppression over engagement.
Instead of dialogue, it opts for detention. Instead of reform, it chooses fear.
But history warns us: regimes that criminalize dissent invite resistance. States that rule by fear inevitably collapse under the weight of their own repression.
When a government becomes indistinguishable from the violence it claims to fight, it loses moral authority — and legitimacy.
As citizens, we must resist this slide into autocracy. We must speak, write, march — and remind the state that our rights are not favors from the government, but guarantees under the Constitution.
Kenya’s anti-terror laws must be reviewed and reined in. The judiciary must defend due process.
Parliament must reject blanket repressive legislation. Civil society must remain visible and vocal.
The media must expose every abuse — because terror thrives in silence and darkness.
Ultimately, we must choose: will we allow the state to become a terrorist in the name of fighting terrorism? Or will we stand up and demand justice, dignity and accountability?
The choice is ours and the time is now.
Peter Mwibanda is a political analyst, legal activist and blogger focused on governance, justice and youth empowerment in Kenya. He writes on societal issues shaping the country’s future.
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