UK: Rights groups warn deportation of Zimbabwean lawyer threatens civic space ahead of polls

By Agencies

LONDON: The Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG), a coalition of more than twenty human rights and civil society organisations, together with the Law Society of Kenya, has condemned the deportation of Zimbabwean Open Society Foundations Programme Director Brian Kagoro.

They warned that the move could criminalise civic funding and cross-border solidarity ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

In a statement released on January 27, 2026, the coalition expressed deep concern that Kagoro’s deportation may mark the start of a broader crackdown on civil society actors in Kenya.

They noted that  Kagoro has spent decades advancing Pan-Africanism, constitutionalism, democratic governance, and human and peoples’ rights across the continent.

“The use of immigration powers to punish or deter engagement with civil society actors, funding, or cross-border solidarity sets a dangerous precedent. It risks criminalising legitimate human rights work,” the statement read.

The groups emphasised that the right to seek, receive, and use resources, including international funding, is fundamental to the freedom of association.

They highlighted that this right is protected under Articles 36 and 27 of the Constitution of Kenya, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, all binding on the Government of Kenya.

The coalition also raised concerns about the apparent lack of transparency and judicial oversight surrounding the deportation.

They noted that deportation is a severe administrative measure that must meet strict standards of legality, necessity, proportionality, and due process. Summary executive action, they said, bypasses courts and denies affected individuals access to an effective remedy.

“The Police Reforms Working Group and Law Society of Kenya are alarmed by the lack of transparency and apparent absence of judicial oversight surrounding Kagoro’s deportation,” the statement said.

The statement comes amid a wider context of increasing scrutiny of civic actors in Kenya, with human rights defenders and youth-led organisers facing heightened surveillance. The groups warned that framing advocacy, research, and fundraising as threats to national security could be used to justify repression.

The Police Reforms Working Group and the Law Society of Kenya called on authorities to publicly disclose the legal basis for the deportation, ensure that immigration and security laws are not misused, and reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to protecting civic space.

“A vibrant, well-resourced, and independent civil society is not a threat to national security; it is essential to democracy, accountability, and human dignity, as the President has said in numerous international policy forums,” they concluded.