Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has once again stirred outrage with his remarks targeting Kenyan human rights activists, accusing them of meddling in the affairs of foreign nations.
Speaking in Kapsabet, Cherargei declared that activists who cross borders in the name of defending human rights are actually engaging in behavior that undermines the sovereignty and stability of other countries.
His words, however, reveal a disturbing trend among some leaders an eagerness to demonize those who stand up against state repression, even when such activism saves lives or exposes abuse.
Cherargei’s statement came just hours after two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, returned home following 38 harrowing days in Ugandan detention.
Instead of expressing concern over their ordeal, the senator chose to call them “busybodies,” accusing them of exporting bad manners and interfering in Uganda’s politics.
Such remarks not only trivialize the plight of those who risk their safety for justice but also echo the rhetoric used by authoritarian regimes to justify silencing dissent.
In his address, Cherargei went as far as urging Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu to “punish” and “repatriate” any Kenyan activists caught engaging in political activities. “Finya hao, warudishe nyumbani tuwamalizie,” he said a chilling statement that implies violence and intolerance toward those fighting for freedom and accountability.
It’s deeply alarming that an elected leader would endorse the persecution of citizens simply for expressing solidarity with oppressed people beyond Kenya’s borders.
The senator’s hostility appears to align conveniently with Museveni’s own comments. The Ugandan president admitted during a radio interview that his security forces had detained Njagi and Oyoo, accusing them of working with opposition leader Bobi Wine to “cause riots.”
This admission confirmed what many human rights organizations feared—that the two Kenyans were victims of political repression, not criminal activity.
Yet, instead of demanding justice for them, Cherargei praised Museveni for their release and condemned the victims themselves.
While Kenya’s Foreign Affairs minister Musalia Mudavadi acknowledged the role of “diplomatic engagement” in securing the activists’ freedom, Cherargei’s tone undermines such efforts.
His words effectively signal to neighboring autocrats that Kenya is comfortable with its citizens being detained or mistreated abroad if they are viewed as politically inconvenient.
That is a dangerous precedent one that chips away at the very principle of state protection and human dignity.
What Cherargei and others of his ilk seem to forget is that activism is not a crime. Human rights defenders often operate in environments where silence means complicity.
When citizens stand up against injustice whether at home or abroad they represent the highest ideals of humanity.
Dismissing them as “busybodies” is not just ignorant, it’s a betrayal of Kenya’s long tradition of supporting democratic struggles across Africa.
Instead of vilifying activists, leaders like Cherargei should be defending the right to dissent, both within and beyond Kenya’s borders. His harsh words expose a worrying disdain for accountability and a dangerous comfort with authoritarianism.
