Prominent human rights NGO has accused Kenya’s President William Ruto of failing to curb a disturbing surge in human rights violations since the commencement of his presidency in September 2022.

The Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) released the damning report, revealing a more than twofold increase in documented abuses during this period.

The IMLU report, published on Thursday, outlined a disturbing pattern of rights violations, including punitive policing during protests, extrajudicial executions, deaths in custody, torture of minors, interference with investigative authorities, and unconstitutional meddling in the National Police Service.

“In the past year, we have witnessed a wave of punitive policing during protests, extrajudicial executions, deaths in custody, deliberate torture of children, interference with investigative authorities, unconstitutional interference of the National Police Service, and other critical human rights violations,” said IMLU.

According to the findings, 482 cases of torture and related violations have been documented since October of the previous year, along with 128 extrajudicial murders and three enforced disappearances. Most victims are young males, with minors aged 17 or younger accounting for 44 of these distressing cases.

The findings have raised serious concerns about the state of human rights under the current administration.

The IMLU asserts that Mr Ruto’s efforts to combat police abuse and safeguard the rights of urban youth have fallen far short of expectations.

The organisation has called into question the effectiveness of the president’s promises to eradicate extrajudicial killings.

“The data implies that the president’s efforts to address police abuse and protect urban youth have fallen short,” it added.

In a January interview with Kenyan media, Mr Ruto made firm remarks on the issue, stating, “For the avoidance of doubt, there will be no extrajudicial killings in the government of Kenya under my administration. That is a chapter we must close, weld, bolt, and put behind us.”