The Dutch state visit to Kenya, scheduled to take place from Tuesday, March 18, 2025, to Thursday, March 20, 2025, has continued to attract criticism from a section of human rights bodies.
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima are expected to jet into the country following an invitation from President William Ruto.
They are expected to be accompanied by other top officials from the Netherlands during their state visit, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Reinette Klever, and the Minister of Defence, Ruben Brekelmans.
Human rights violation
However, ahead of their anticipated arrival, Amnesty International, on Sunday, March 16, 2025, continued to pile pressure on the Dutch delegation regarding the various cases of human rights violations in the country.
In a statement, Amnesty International Director Irungu Houghton noted that the Dutch delegation should boldly pronounce themselves on the matter.
Amnesty highlighted cases of police brutality, abductions, and violent attacks on peaceful demonstrations on issues that the Dutch officials needed to prioritize and comprehensively address during their visit in Kenya.
“As Dutch authorities prepare for the official state visit to Kenya this week to intensify bilateral Dutch-Kenya relations, Amnesty International calls on both authorities to place human rights at the heart of the visit, address human rights violations, and commit to accountability for all victims following the recent brutal crackdown on human rights,” the statement read in part.
“The Dutch state visit to Kenya takes place following violent attacks on peaceful demonstrations, with many protestors killed or injured by the authorities. Over the past nine months, police officers have used excessive force against protesters, which has led to the deaths of over 60. Masked agents have abducted more than 80 activists, many of them Kenyan youth. Abductions and torture continue to happen with impunity,” it added.
Amnesty implored the Dutch delegation to engage their Kenyan counterparts led by President William Ruto to establish how the country was prepared to address the issues.
“The three Dutch ministers and the Royal Couple must use this opportunity to place human rights at the centre of diplomatic relations between Kenya and the Netherlands. Amnesty International urges both Kenyan and Dutch ministers to publicly outline during the visit how human rights in Kenya will improve. Economic, military and other interests must not be prioritised at the cost of human rights.”
Kenyans emails
Earlier, Kenyans had written emails calling on the Dutch government to cancel their planned visit to the country.
Kenyan activists further presented a 22,000-signature document to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding the withdrawal of the state visit.
In response, the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by CS Musalia Mudavadi, termed the petitions, which were submitted online, as misinformation aimed at undermining the credibility of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“These activities initially sparked by genuine protests by Gen-Z have evolved into organized cyber attacks by a few social media influencers and seek to delegitimize government initiatives,” Mudavadi stated.
