Kenya is currently hosting the King and Queen of the Netherlands amidst growing concerns over human rights abuses in the East African country. Many Kenyans have voiced their opposition to the royal visit, with hundreds of emails and petitions urging the monarchs to cancel their trip.
The Kenyan government has been accused of detaining and arresting critics, particularly following the June anti-government protests, where demonstrators stormed parliament and set part of the building on fire in response to newly passed taxes.
In addition to suppressing protests and limiting freedom of speech, there have been reports of state-linked abductions targeting young men who posted content deemed offensive to the president on social media. During December protests against kidnappings and abductions, dozens of peaceful demonstrators were arrested.
Over 20,000 Kenyans signed a petition on Change.org asking Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to cancel their visit. Last month, the Dutch government reported receiving over 300 emails requesting the same, but they confirmed that the royal visit would go ahead as planned.
The Dutch royals arrived in Kenya on Monday evening for a three-day visit. On Tuesday morning, King Willem-Alexander was greeted with a 21-gun salute and a formal inspection of an honor guard, according to the office of President William Ruto.
On the first day of the royal visit, there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm from Kenyans on the streets. Macharia Munene, a professor of international relations at the United States International University-Africa, suggested that this was due to the “low morale” the public is experiencing.
Munene explained that there is widespread mistrust in the government, partly because essential public services like health and education are not functioning well. He added that the diplomatic influence Kenya once had has diminished significantly.
Amnesty International called on both Kenya and the Netherlands on Saturday to make human rights a central focus of the royal visit. The organization urged them to address the ongoing human rights violations in Kenya and ensure accountability for the victims of the recent harsh government crackdown.
In October, Kenya was elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council, and human rights organizations have been pressing the government to prioritize civil liberties.
