The 2025 Missing Voices Annual Report documents 131 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Kenya, reflecting an overall decline in violations compared to 2024. However, this apparent progress masks a worrying trend: a sharp rise in police killings and continued concerns about the use of excessive force, particularly during periods of public protest.
Missing Voices documented a total of 159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in 2024. Out of the 159 cases, 104 (65%) were incidents of police-related killings, while 55 (35%) were those of enforced disappearances. 2024 marked the year that the coalition recorded the highest number of cases of enforced disappearances. Before then, 2019 had the highest number of cases of enforced disappearances at 38.
On Wednesday, April 24th, 2024, the Missing Voices Coalition launched its 2023 Annual Report focused on the theme "End Police Impunity" at the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Nairobi Office.
This marks the fourth report and a significant achievement for the Coalition since its inception. The report highlighted several key developments related to discussions on police impunity in the country for the year 2023. One major highlight was the reduction in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances compared to the previous year. The report detailed a 9.2% decrease in extrajudicial killings, from 130 in 2022 to 118 in 2023, and a 54.5% decrease in enforced disappearances, from 22 in 2022 to 10 in 2023.
At least 220 women and girls were killed in Kenya in 2025, most by people they trusted, and often after seeking help. The Femicide Report 2025 shows that these deaths were not accidents but the result of ignored warning signs, social silence, and systemic failure. Ending femicide requires naming it, tracking it, and acting decisively to protect women before violence becomes fatal.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation (hbs) Nairobi, in partnership with the Initiative for Equality and Non-Discrimination (INEND), has released a new publication titled Reshaping Narratives: Media Engagement Strategies for LGBTIQ+ Persons in Kenya. The report examines how the Kenyan media portrays sexual and gender minorities and explores practical strategies for fostering more inclusive, accurate, and ethical reporting. By combining community insights, journalist perspectives, and media analysis, the study highlights both the progress made and the ongoing challenges in ensuring fair representation, dignity, and equality for LGBTIQ+ persons in Kenya.
Kabarak University and Heinrich Boell Foundation published a book dubbed “Decentralisation and inclusion in Kenya: From pre-colonial times to the first decade of devolution”. The publication is a result of a research that evaluated the first era of devolution (2012 – 2022). The critical focus on devolution and its impact on minority groups.
How safe is the food on our plates?
Research by the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN), in partnership with the University of Nairobi, Route to Food Initiative, a programme of Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, examined pesticide residues in vegetables commonly consumed in Kenya and offers fresh evidence on the state of food safety and practical household methods that can help reduce pesticide residues before consumption.
This dossier shows how disruptions in oil markets ripple through fertiliser supply chains and into agriculture, increasing production costs and exposing countries like Kenya to global instability. Because most synthetic fertilisers are derived from fossil fuels and imported, Kenya’s farming systems remain tightly linked to energy markets and geopolitical dynamics.
By 2025, more than 12 billion tonnes of plastic had been produced globally – and plastic pollution is not gender neutral. Our publication Combatting Global Plastic Pollution presents feminist perspectives for a gender-just approach to the plastic crisis.
This context paper captures diverse perspectives from a consultation held in Dar es Salaam in December 2023. The paper outlines Tanzania's current energy mix and the energy choices facing its society. It also addresses energy investments aimed at reducing energy poverty and improving the well-being of Tanzanian citizens. Additionally, the paper discusses the consequences of today's energy choices and outlines a research agenda, highlighting key thematic areas and energy topics that require thorough investigation for the Sustainable Energy Futures Tanzania Report.
Chemicals in products have continued to expose humans and the environment to their negative impacts. Evidence from analysis of recycled plastic products sampled from markets in Kenya and other parts of the world has revealed high levels of POPs in recycled products including children’s toys.
This is exacerbated by weaknesses in the legal frameworks, the limited capacity of countries to screen imports for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and lack of transparency and traceability mechanisms for chemicals in products. To reduce exposure to these chemicals in Kenya, there is need to regulate the use of plastic products treated with chemicals and set stringent limits for POPs in products and wastes. Furthermore, there is need to strengthen the capacity to manage chemicals in products including capacity for screen of imports.
Lastly, the government should take lead in pushing for adequate measures to eliminate toxics in plastics in the ongoing plastic treaty negotiations to support non- toxic circular economy. This policy brief is intended for policy and decision makers in the national and county governments, particularly in the ministries of health, environment, labor and trade, as well as regulatory agencies such as the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
