Kenyan authorities paid bloggers up to KSh25,000 (USD192) a day to flood social media with pro-government messages and intimidate young protesters during the deadly Generation Z demonstrations against a controversial finance bill, a new Amnesty International report has revealed.
The report, titled “This Fear, Everyone is Feeling It”, documents how the government weaponised digital platforms to suppress dissent between June 2024 and July 2025, leaving many young activists traumatised and reluctant to speak out again. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with police as demonstrators rallied against proposed taxes, corruption, femicide and skyrocketing living costs.
Social media sparks and suppresses movement
Social media was the spark for the youth-led movement. Hashtags like #RejectFinanceBill and #RutoMustGo mobilised thousands to the streets of Nairobi and beyond. Protesters, mostly from Generation Z, demanded President William Ruto resignation and called for economic reforms and an end to corruption.
But the online counter-attack was swift and coordinated. State-backed digital squads drowned out the protests with rival tags like #RutoMustGoOn and spread disinformation. One anonymous member of these squads told Amnesty researchers he was paid between KSh25,000 and KSh50,000 daily to amplify supportive content and discredit critics. “Most of the things you see trending in Kenya, I’m among the people doing that,” he admitted.
The so-called “527 bloggers” network was hired to abuse critics, post dehumanising comments and promote pro-government narratives. Tactics included mass-posting identical messages to hijack algorithms, creating counter-hashtags and launching smear campaigns like #ToxicActivists, which used Islamophobic imagery to label activists as corrupt or foreign agents.
Young women and LGBT+ activists faced disproportionate attacks, including misogynistic comments, body shaming, doxing, threats and AI-generated pornographic images. False narratives even claimed survivors of enforced disappearances had staged their own abductions.
Victor Ndede, Amnesty International Kenya technology and human rights campaign manager, described the tactics as a “widespread and coordinated” effort to silence youth. “The government paid bloggers to intimidate and send threatening messages to young protesters,” Ndede said. He warned the repression could continue, creating a climate where critics fear arrest or abduction.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty secretary general, added: “Our research also proves that these campaigns are driven by state-sponsored trolls, individuals and networks paid to promote pro-government messages and dominate Kenya daily trends on X.”
The human cost of digital intimidation
The personal toll is stark. Serah, a 23-year-old activist whose full name is withheld for safety, helped organise rallies in Nairobi but received a flood of threats on Facebook and WhatsApp. “The messages warned me to stop or face consequences,” she said. Traumatised, she has deleted all protest-related posts and now hesitates to speak out. “I’m not sure I’ll protest again. It made me question if we were fighting for people who don’t care.”
Loba, a 24-year-old university student, got a chilling WhatsApp message on 25 June 2024 — the day protesters stormed parliament: “You are protesting against the government that pays for your university fees. Consider it the end of your studies.” Coming from a struggling family, the threat hit hard. He marched anyway, but now says he is unsure about joining future protests.
Prominent figures were targeted too. Hanifa Adan, a Somali-Kenyan journalist and activist, faced smears branding her a “foreigner”, a “fool” and a “Somali terrorist”. “These attacks made my life hard and took away my joy and sense of who I am,” she said.
Mariam, a 27-year-old human rights defender in Mombasa, told researchers: “I had people coming into my inbox and telling me, ‘You will die and leave your kids. We will come and attack you’. I even had to change my child school. Someone sent me my child name, the age… the school bus number plate. They told me: ‘If you continue doing what you are doing then we will take care of this child for you’.”
Other activists reported direct threats such as “We are coming for you” and warnings that speaking out would cost them their education or safety.
Broader violations and government pushback
The report also documents unlawful surveillance, brief internet shutdowns and mobile tracking — all used to violate privacy and free expression. Some activists believe state surveillance involved mobile provider Safaricom, though the company has denied sharing live location data.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen rejected the findings. “The government does not sanction harassment or violence against any citizen,” he said, insisting security forces operate within the constitution and that any misconduct is individual, not policy.
Yet rights defenders fear worse is coming. President Ruto signed the controversial Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act on 15 October 2025, despite warnings it hands the state sweeping new powers to monitor and punish online criticism. Penalties now include fines of up to KSh20 million or 10 years in prison for spreading what the government deems “false” information. The Kenya Human Rights Commission and 2027 presidential hopeful Reuben Kigame have already filed court challenges.
Lasting impact and calls for action
The 2024 protests forced Ruto to withdraw the finance bill and marked a historic moment for Kenya youth. A year and a half later, many feel broken. “We were full of hope,” Serah said, “but now fear rules.”
Amnesty is calling for independent investigations into the abuses, unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and surveillance, plus urgent reforms to protect digital rights. Victims and families deserve compensation, and the government must halt tech-facilitated violence and troll campaigns. Without action, Victor Ndede warns, a whole generation of Kenyan voices may be silenced for good.
Agencies contributed to this report
