Activists Mobilize Against Anti-Rights Conferences in Nairobi
May 10, 2025 — Nairobi, Kenya
Human rights activists across Kenya have launched protests and awareness campaigns in response to a series of high-profile conservative conferences taking place in Nairobi this month, which they claim promote anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion agendas. The events, organized by various religious and political groups, have sparked alarm among civil society organizations who warn they threaten hard-won gains in civil liberties and human rights.
The conferences, reportedly backed by a coalition of international conservative organizations and local religious institutions, have drawn criticism for featuring rhetoric and policy proposals that activists say could endanger vulnerable communities. Among the key themes are calls to restrict access to reproductive health services and to oppose the legal recognition of LGBTQ+ rights.
“These gatherings are not just symbolic—they are dangerous,” said Stella Mwangi, director of the Nairobi-based Centre for Constitutional Rights. “They create an environment that fuels hate, discrimination, and regressive policy-making under the guise of family values.”
A coalition of human rights organizations, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International Kenya, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, have scheduled peaceful demonstrations, public forums, and digital campaigns to counter the narratives emerging from the conferences. Organizers of the resistance movement say their goal is to uphold constitutional protections and educate the public on the potential social and legal harms posed by these events.
“There is growing concern that such forums are being used to push legislative changes that would roll back reproductive rights and criminalize expressions of identity,” said Wanjiru Kamau, a reproductive rights advocate. “We cannot allow that to happen in a country that has made clear strides toward inclusivity.”
The government has so far remained silent on the controversy, with officials declining to comment on whether the content of the conferences violates national or international human rights standards. However, some lawmakers have signaled support for the conservative agenda, highlighting the political tensions surrounding gender and identity issues in Kenya.
Kenya’s 2010 Constitution guarantees fundamental freedoms, including the right to privacy, equality, and freedom of expression. Human rights defenders argue that these conferences threaten to undermine those protections and embolden discrimination.
As the ideological battle intensifies, Nairobi has become a focal point in the wider continental debate over the direction of social policy in Africa — one that pits tradition against modern interpretations of human rights.