They argue that a series of attacks on various events has threatened citizens’ ability to exercise their constitutional rights.

KHRC senior legal officer John Mundia, board member Kwamchetsi Makokha and Katiba Institute executive director Nora Mbagathi address the press following the filling of a constitutional petition challenging political violence against Kenyans at Milimani law courts, Nairobi on October 28, 2026/LEAH MUKANGAI

A section of human rights groups is asking the High Court to compel the State to establish a multi-agency task force to investigate and address what they describe as organised political violence ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The petitioners want the court to direct the government to set up the task force within 30 days, with a mandate to investigate reported politically motivated attacks, including the alleged recruitment and financing of groups involved in the violence.

They are also seeking orders requiring police to provide adequate security at political rallies, religious services, press conferences and civic forums.

They want the authorities to preserve evidence relating to reported attacks and submit progress reports on investigations.

The petition has been filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission, Katiba Institute, the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, and litigants Kwamchetsi Makokha, Mary Kambo and Elphas Osoro.

"This Petition is grounded in an escalating and now well-documented pattern of organised attacks on citizens engaged in lawful civic, political, and religious activity," it states.

The petitioners contend that the right to political participation under Article 38 of the Constitution must be protected throughout the electoral process, and not merely on election day.

They cite several incidents dating back to 2025, including the July 6 attack at the Kenya Human Rights Commission’s offices in Nairobi, where they state that a media briefing by mothers of victims of police brutality was disrupted.

According to the petition, the attackers assaulted and intimidated journalists and members of the public, while mobile phones and laptops were stolen.

The commission says it provided police with CCTV footage and other evidence, but no one had been arrested or prosecuted by the time the petition was filed.

The petition also cites the June 12, 2026 attack at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, where armed youths allegedly disrupted a public forum on the national budget attended by civil society organisations, faith leaders and members of the public.

Other incidents highlighted include attacks on political gatherings in Gilgil, Othaya, Kitengela, Kisii, Kisumu and Homa Bay, as well as violence during the July 16 Ol Kalou by-election in Nyandarua County.

The petitioners further refer to the August 16 attack on a Linda Mwananchi political convoy in Homa Bay County, where vehicles were torched, journalists were attacked, and several people were reported killed.

They argue that the incidents point to a broader threat to political participation, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, warning that intimidation could undermine the conditions necessary for a free and fair election.

"Left unchecked, it will normalise intimidation as an instrument of political contestation, erode public confidence in the rule of law, and hollow out the constitutional framework within which the sovereign will of the people is meant to be freely expressed through elections," the litigants add.

The petition names several state agencies and senior security officials as respondents.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights are listed as interested parties.

The petitioners are also seeking declarations that the alleged violence and the State’s response violate constitutional rights.

They want the court to order investigations into the incidents and their alleged financiers, with reports filed in court within 60 days.

They are also asking the High Court to compel the relevant agencies to preserve CCTV footage, police records, witness statements and other evidence, and to submit periodic reports on incidents, investigations and prosecutions ahead of the 2027 polls

"The pattern particularised in this Petition demonstrates that the harm lies in the degradation of the electoral environment, both ahead of and independent of any single contest. An after-the-fact election petition is structurally incapable of addressing the harm this Petition seeks to cure," they argue.

The petitioners have also asked for damages over the attacks on the commission’s offices and at All Saints Cathedral.