Grassroots Women Demand End to Intimidation of Accountability Champions.

Grassroots Women Demand End to Intimidation of Accountability Champions.

Grassroots women leaders during a press briefing in Nairobi where they called for an end to attacks on civil society and accountability defenders.

By Jeff Oyugi 

Nairobi - July 13, 2026

A group of grassroots women leaders from Nairobi has voiced concern over what they describe as increasing intimidation, harassment and attacks against civil society organizations and individuals advocating for transparency and accountability, warning that such actions undermine the voices of ordinary Kenyans seeking better public services.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Rioba, Georgina, Caroline, Kiboy, Salma and Sarah said attacks targeting organizations that champion accountability ultimately silence communities that depend on them to demand answers on the use of public resources.

In a statement titled "When They Silence Those Who Fight for Accountability, They Silence Our Communities Too," the women said civic organizations play a critical role in ensuring citizens can question how public funds are spent and whether development projects deliver their intended benefits.

The coalition, comprising community leaders, chama leaders, mama mbogas, salon owners, caregivers, farmers, traders and women community organizers from across Nairobi, said they had come together because of growing concern over what they termed shrinking civic space in Kenya.

According to the women, civil society organizations serve as partners to communities by helping residents seek accountability from leaders over stalled projects and poor service delivery.

"They stand with communities as we ask difficult questions," they said, citing concerns over health facilities lacking medicine, incomplete market projects, impassable roads despite substantial public allocations, and uncertainty surrounding the use of funds intended to improve livelihoods.

The leaders argued that when organizations are intimidated for demanding accountability, ordinary citizens lose an important avenue through which they can raise concerns affecting their daily lives.

"Silencing these organizations means silencing our communities," they said, adding that public participation and accountability are closely linked.

The coalition further questioned what protection remains for ordinary citizens if organizations with legal support, national visibility and public backing can allegedly face intimidation while advocating for transparency.

"If organizations with lawyers, national visibility and public support can be intimidated for demanding accountability, what protection remains for an ordinary woman questioning the misuse of public resources in her own community?" the statement asked.

The women said the consequences of failed accountability are most visible in households, where women often bear the burden of inadequate public services.

They noted that families are forced to stretch limited incomes when hospitals run out of essential medicines, traders lose business because markets remain neglected, households spend more on water after public projects fail, and parents struggle to provide for their children in communities where resources disappear without explanation.

According to the coalition, corruption flourishes when accountability mechanisms are weakened, with women and families paying the highest social and economic price.

The group also expressed concern over what it described as an atmosphere of fear fueled by intimidation, unlawful surveillance, office raids, enforced disappearances and the targeting of civic actors.

The women warned that such developments discourage citizens from exercising their constitutional right to question how public resources are managed.

"A country where citizens fear asking questions is one where corruption thrives unchecked," the statement said.

The coalition maintained that demanding accountability should never be treated as a criminal act and urged authorities to safeguard the constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all Kenyans.

Among their key demands, the women called on the Government to immediately halt intimidation, harassment, surveillance and attacks against civil society organizations, human rights defenders and citizens working to promote accountability.

They also urged the Government to institute independent investigations into reported incidents of unlawful surveillance, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and attacks targeting civic actors, and to ensure those found responsible are held accountable.

The coalition further appealed for enhanced protection of grassroots women leaders and community organizers who continue advocating transparency in the management of public resources.

In addition, they called for the protection of every Kenyan's constitutional rights to organize, express opinions freely and hold leaders accountable without intimidation or fear.

The women cautioned that the current situation extends beyond civil society organizations and could eventually affect any citizen seeking answers about public expenditure.

"Today it is the Civil Society Organizations. Tomorrow it could be a chama leader asking why a market project stalled, a mama mboga asking why there is no water in the market, a youth leader asking where promised opportunities went, or any ordinary Kenyan demanding answers about how public resources are being used," the statement read.

Reaffirming their commitment to transparency and democratic governance, the coalition pledged continued solidarity with organizations and individuals working to promote public accountability.

"Their fight is our fight because accountability protects every community," the women said.

They added that they would continue mobilizing communities, encouraging citizens to ask questions and advocating transparent leadership because public resources belong to the people.

The statement adds to the ongoing national debate on governance, civic freedoms and public accountability. While the coalition urged stronger protection of civic actors and constitutional rights, the Government has consistently maintained that security agencies operate within the law to protect public order and national security, and that any allegations of misconduct by state officers are addressed through established legal and investigative mechanisms.

The appeal by Rioba, Georgina, Caroline, Kiboy, Salma and Sarah highlights growing concern among grassroots women that protecting civic space is essential to ensuring communities can continue demanding transparency, accountability and equitable delivery of public services.