HRA Calls on Kenyan Authorities to Arrest and Prosecute the Perpetrators of the Lethal Attack on Gospel Artist Rachel Wandeto

The Human Rights Association (HRA) today expresses its profound condolences to the family,colleagues, and community of Rachel Wandeto, a Kenyan gospel artist who died this morning, 18 May 2026, at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, having sustained burns to approximately 70 per cent of her body following a premeditated attack on the night of 15 May 2026 in the Mwiki area of Kasarani Sub-county. The HRA calls on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Kenya National Police Service, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to treat the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for this attack as a matter of the utmost urgency, and to ensure that no person implicated in the planning, financing, or execution of this crime escapes accountability.

Rachel Wandeto was attacked by a group of three men on the night of 15 May 2026 on Obama

Road, 11th Street, Mwiki. The men accosted her as she was running an errand, surrounded her,

directed her to an isolated location, poured petrol over her body, and set her alight before

fleeing. She was rushed to Uzima Uhai Hospital in the early hours of 16 May and subsequently

transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital where she was admitted to the intensive care unit in

critical condition. She died on the morning of 18 May 2026. Before her death, Ms Wandeto

recorded a video account from her hospital bed in which she described the attack in her own

words. Her testimony constitutes direct evidence and must be treated as such by investigators.

Ms Wandeto had drawn public attention earlier in 2026 after she tattooed President William

Ruto's face on her chest as a public expression of political support. According to her own

testimony and her family's account, the attackers demanded money they alleged she had

received from the President in exchange for her support. When she told them she had nothing to

give, they carried out the attack. The Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, visited

Ms Wandeto at Kenyatta National Hospital on 17 May and stated publicly that if the attack was

confirmed to have been politically motivated, it would be a matter of grave national concern. The

Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, subsequently directed the DCI to establish the

motive behind the attack and to proceed with speed. As of the time of publication, no arrests

have been made and no suspects have been publicly identified.

The HRA regards the killing of Rachel Wandeto as a direct consequence of political intolerance

and the targeting of individuals for the peaceful expression of their political views. The right to

hold and express political opinions without fear of violence is guaranteed under Article 19 of the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Kenya is a state party, and under

Articles 27 and 29 of the Constitution of Kenya. The attack on Ms Wandeto, carried out with premeditation by individuals who identified her specifically because of her political affiliation,

constitutes a violation of those rights of the most severe and irreversible kind.

The HRA further calls on all political leaders, public figures, and community representatives in

Kenya to cease immediately any conduct, speech, or communication that encourages, legitimises,

or incites violence against individuals on the basis of their political opinions. The normalisation of

political intolerance creates the conditions in which attacks such as the one that killed Rachel

Wandeto become possible. Those who contribute to that normalisation bear a share of the moral

responsibility for its consequences.

HRA Chairman Saad Kassis-Mohamed stated: “Rachel Wandeto recorded her own testimony from

a hospital bed before she died. She described, in her own words, how three men surrounded her,

poured petrol on her, and set her alight because she had expressed support for her country's

president. She died this morning. No one has been arrested. The HRA calls on the Kenyan

authorities to arrest and prosecute those responsible without further delay, and on every political

leader in Kenya to understand that the language of political intolerance has a cost, and that cost

is paid by people like Rachel Wandeto.”

The HRA calls specifically on the DCI to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the

attack on Rachel Wandeto, including the identification and prosecution of all persons involved in

the planning and execution of the attack; to ensure that Ms Wandeto's own recorded testimony is

preserved and treated as primary evidence; and to report publicly on the progress of the

investigation at regular intervals. The Association further calls on the Office of the Director of

Public Prosecutions to ensure that any prosecution reflects the full gravity of the offence,

including its apparent political motivation.