Weaponisation of Terrorism Act Takes Centre Stage at Sauti Sessions Third Edition

The weaponization of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (2012) and other security laws by the state to muzzle political dissent was front-and-centre at the third edition of Sauti Sessions held on 23rd October, 2025. Members of the audience braved the rain and biting cold that characterized the evening to stream into the Baraza Media Lab for the event themed Not a Terrorist, signalling their unalloyed enthusiasm to be part of this important discussion. The discussion couldn’t have been more topical coming in the wake of terrorism charges against those who participated or are alleged to have participated in the June 25th protests.

Moderating the discussion was Sauti Sessions lead curator and founder, Ian Wafula, with the help of Africa Uncensored's Tom Mukhwana, an investigative journalist. Given the sensitivity of the topic, Ian Wafula, in his introductory remarks, noted that it had not been easy putting the edition together but with the assistance of Africa Uncensored, Siasa Place, and Baraza Media Lab it happened.

Taking cognisance of the fact that the edition was happening just days after the death and burial of Raila Odinga, there was a moment to reflect on his legacy. Ian Wafula reflected on his experience interviewing the former prime minister years back at the late opposition leader’s Karen residence. A short Africa Uncensored montage on Raila was screened. Members of the audience were given the opportunity to share their views on what the departed opposition leader meant to them. There were those who hailed him as a selfless statesman and patriot who put nation above everything else while others described him as a political opportunist, a testament to how polarised public opinion was on his decades-long political career.

But before delving into other serious aspects of the day’s program, the audience was afforded some comic relief as stand up comedian and satirist, Justine Wanda, took the stage. There was laughter in the room as she delivered hilarious zingers, riffing on politics, feminism, and uniquely Kenyan habits among other subjects.

Next in line was a pre-recorded interview that Tom Mukhwana did with Melvine Thogo, a lawyer and human rights activists. The interview sought to give the audience an understanding of how the terrorism act was being deployed by the state against protesters. “The government has increasingly misused the Prevention of Terrorism Act to frame peaceful protesters as threats to national security, ” Thogo explained. “We’ve seen young people being arrested for simply expressing dissent and some of them for just existing. Some of the people we have in these cases were just existing in their workplace.”

A screening of a short documentary by Ian Wafula followed. It mined Wafula’s journalistic experience of covering terrorism and anti-government protests, and sought to distinguish between terrorist and a patriot. Those featured in the documentary included young people who had been slapped with terrorism charges over suspicion that they participated in anti-government protests, and those who survived terrorist attacks. The young people facing terrorist charges spoke of how their lives had been impacted by the charges.

The youths who are grappling with terrorism charges and who were featured in Ian Wafula’s documentary, Wanjiku Thiga, Mariam Ali, Brian Thuranira, were present and were invited to the front of the auditorium to say a few words. They expressed their innocence, their voices heavy with emotion, and talked about the toll that the terrorism charges that they were grappling with had taken on their lives.

Then came the main agenda of the day: an in-depth discussion of the use of the terrorism act and other security laws to stifle dissent, and what that means in practice. The panelists, Siasa Place executive director, Nerima Wako, and Amnesty International Kenya executive director, Irungu Houghton, took their places, ready to field the questions from Ian Wafula, the discussion’s moderator, and members of the audience. Melvine Thogo, lawyer and human rights activist, was in the audience to respond to the legal questions.

“POTA is formed to protect the public from terror but what we are seeing the government doing is using POTA to terrorize the citizens. ~ Nerima Wako”

Nerima Wako weighed in on her work trying to help the young people battling terrorism charges, and how traumatized they were. She also explained how the weaponization of the security laws was eroding the civic space. “POTA is formed to protect the public from terror but what we are seeing the government doing is using POTA to terrorize citizens, ” she said. Irungu Houghton made pointed remarks, saying that the deployment of POTA on protesters was part of a scheme to undermine the constitution. “To take that law and use it against, in many cases, unarmed protesters was essentially to do a form of lawfare, and it dishonoured the purpose of the law,” he said. He urged Kenyans to be prudent when choosing leaders at the ballot, calling on them to elect leaders who reflect their values and a future that they envision for the country.

“To take the law and use it against, in many cases, unarmed protesters was essentially to do a form of lawfare, and it dishonoured the purpose of the law. ~ Irungu Houghton”

The closing act of the night was rendered by Willie Oeba, a poet and spoken word maven who embodies art as activism, and whose mesmerising word play provided a fitting conclusion to the third edition of Sauti Sessions.