Nairobi, Kenya — July 1, 2025
A US-based Kenyan academic and human rights advocate has petitioned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to withdraw an invitation extended to President William Ruto, citing alleged human rights violations in Kenya.
In a letter dated June 29, Prof. Peter Ndiangui, a lecturer at Florida Gulf Coast University and outspoken human rights campaigner, described the UK’s decision to host President Ruto as “a betrayal of human rights and an insult to Kenyans.”
“The UK’s decision to host President William Samoei Ruto at this profound dark moment in his nation’s history is ill-considered, an appalling affront to the people of Kenya, and a glaring contradiction of Britain’s professed democratic values,” Ndiangui stated in the letter.
President Ruto departed Kenya on Sunday for official visits to Spain and the United Kingdom, amid growing tensions at home over public protests and allegations of police brutality.
Prof. Ndiangui’s letter, which was also copied to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Members of the UK Parliament, called on the British government to immediately cancel any diplomatic or state engagements with President Ruto. He urged the UK to issue a public and unequivocal condemnation of what he termed “recent killings and human rights violations carried out by Kenyan security agencies.”
“Legitimising such bloodshed emboldens repression and effectively aligns Britain with a regime that has brutally turned its guns against its own youth,” the professor added.
Ndiangui also condemned Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen for what he described as a “chilling instruction” to shoot any civilian seen near police stations during the protests. He labelled the directive as “vile, unconstitutional, and a spark for international outrage.”
He concluded that the UK’s diplomatic overtures come too soon after what he called the “extrajudicial slaughter of unarmed civilians on the streets of Nairobi and other towns,” warning that such engagement amounts to “nothing short of state-sponsored endorsement of tyranny.”
President Ruto’s European tour has already drawn criticism from local and international observers, who argue that it risks overshadowing the ongoing calls for accountability and reform in Kenya.
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