Kenya hosts Dutch royals as allegations of human rights abuses mount

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya is hosting the Netherlands king and queen as allegations of human rights abuses are mounting, with Kenyans writing hundreds of emails and petitioning the Dutch royals to cancel their visit.

Kenya’s government has been accused of arresting and detaining critics, especially after the June 2024 anti-government protests during which demonstrators stormed the parliament and torched a section of it angry over new taxes passed by legislators.

Along with cracking down on demonstrators and curbing free speech, the country also saw state-linked abductions of young men for social media posts deemed offensive to the president. In December, during protests against widespread kidnappings and abductions, dozens of peaceful protesters were arrested.

More than 20,000 Kenyans signed the petition on Change.org asking Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to reconsider their visit. The Dutch government last month said it received more than 300 emails asking for the cancellation but that the state visit would proceed as scheduled.

The Dutch royals arrived on Monday night for a three-day visit. King Willem-Alexander was honored with a 21-gun salute and inspected an honor guard President William Ruto ’s government office on Tuesday morning.

Amnesty International on Saturday asked Kenya and Netherlands to “place human rights at the heart of the visit, address human rights violations and commit to accountability for all victims following the recent brutal crackdown on human rights” in the East African country.

Kenya was among several African countries elected to the U.N human rights council in October 2024 and human rights groups have been urging the government to prioritize human rights.