East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) 2024

On 7th April 2024, Duke Nyabaro, a Kenyan blogger, was found dead, kneeling with a rope around his neck. A postmortem confirmed manual strangulation, ruling out suicide. His death highlights a disturbing rise in the deaths and abductions of political bloggers and online activists in Kenya, with over 50 digital activists abducted in 2024 alone, many during the #RejectFinanceBill protests by Gen Z. Article 19 Eastern Africa, Paradigm Initiative, and the Bloggers Association of Kenya condemn this alarming trend of murders, arbitrary arrests, and violence against bloggers and digital activists. In response to this worrying trend, we have held meetings with digital activists nationwide and provided VPNs to enhance their safety as they continue to hold the government accountable. Notably, there is a lack of current and accurate data on blogger insecurity in Kenya, which prompted us to work on comprehensive research covering 2018-2024.

Specifically, the objectives of this open forum are:

1. Discuss the report's initial findings on blogger and activist safety in Kenya (2018-2023). 
2. Raise awareness about the increasing violence against bloggers and digital activists at county and national levels. 
3. Share best practices and experiences on the right to blog and safety and security for bloggers and digital activists. 
4. Brainstorm the way forward for strategic advocacy at national and regional levels