Blog Article by James Kiilu
Member Kenya Community Advisory Team (K-CAT) to the Digital Health and Rights Project
Protecting Rights in Digital Spaces
In September 2025, I joined fellow Kenya Community Advisory Team (K-CAT) members and researchers from the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network (KELIN) for multistakeholder forums on Digital Health and Rights in Kitui and Migori Counties in Kenya. These forums are part of the global initiative The Future of Human Rights in the Digital Age: Research, Education, and Global Advocacy, which explores how countries like Kenya can protect human rights as health systems become increasingly digital. Kitui and Migori were among the study counties, making them ideal places to share and debate the findings through the lived experiences of the people whose lives are directly shaped by these systems.
The research report titled , Paying the Costs of Connection showed that while digital systems are expanding access to healthcare, they also introduce serious risks and can deepen or replicate existing inequalities. Issues of access, safety, human rights, and dignity are as important for those in rural areas as they are for people living in cities. Yet, often, these conversations are confined to urban spaces, sometimes far from where most people experience the daily realities of Kenya’s health system. The forum created a space where residents could reflect on how these issues affect their local realities. It allowed people to discuss how to remove the invisible barriers that prevent digital transformation from being truly inclusive, so that everyone can benefit from progress without sacrificing privacy or dignity.
Bringing Research Back to the People
It is deeply encouraging to see the Digital Health and Rights Project taking research back to the community, to those hard-to-reach villages that are usually left out of national debates. By including their voices, the project empowers young adults to lead the conversations on equity and inclusion in digital health.
Having grown up in the Lower Eastern region, I felt proud watching my home community engage with complex ideas that once seemed distant. I must admit that I too had fallen into the common assumption about the nature of discussions we would have in Kitui and Migori: that rural communities would shy away from open conversations on topics such as digital rights, sexuality, and gender- but I was proven wrong
The dialogues in Kitui and Migori were thoughtful and courageous as participants listened to one another with empathy. It was clear that when given the right space, any community can hold meaningful dialogue. We spoke about subjects still considered taboo: the digital risks faced by female sex workers, online abuse targeting young women, and the discrimination experienced by gay men and other men who have sex with men when accessing health servicesWe spoke about issues often considered taboo—the digital risks faced by female sex workers, online abuse targeting young women, and discrimination against gay men and other men who have sex with men when seeking health services.
These are not easy conversations anywhere, yet the honesty and respect in the room demonstrated what is possible when people speak and meet as equals.
An Intergenerational Engagement
A pastor, a county official, a young adult, a health champion, and female sex workers all sat together, speaking from shared humanity. People listened to one another with genuine curiosity and respect. There were moments of discomfort, even disagreement, but they were handled with maturity and patience. The participants showed that it is possible to discuss morally and socially charged topics without descending into hostility. They exhibited the kind of dialogue our country desperately needs, one grounded in dignity, empathy, and an understanding that true progress depends on our ability to hear one another out.
That forum became a mirror for Kenya’s broader democratic health: that civic maturity is not to be measured by unanimity but by our ability to sit in tension, to disagree without demeaning, and to acknowledge that the experiences of others are real even when they challenge our beliefs. To live in society, we do not need to agree on everything, but we must learn how to live in harmony even when we differ. True civic engagement is about managing disagreements with wisdom and grace.
Inclusion and the Future of Digital Health Rights in Kenya
Importantly, the dialogues in Kitui and Migori reflected a larger question about who gets to participate in shaping Kenya’s future. The future of human rights, health, and community research in Kenya will be shaped most importantly by these often-forgotten voices, those deep in rural villages and those who have lived the inequities of our health system. By making them partners and allies in research, by continuing to mature our civic debates, and by featuring people with lived experience at the centre of advocacy, we can build a more inclusive national dialogue. The goal is to balance our research and policy engagement so that it captures the full geographical and social landscape of our healthcare realities.
Moving forward demands a culture of high tolerance for one another, a commitment to transparency, and the courage to speak about difficult health issues that too often remain unspoken. It will also require an insistence that communities remain at the centre of every digital reform. A rights-based approach to technology cannot be achieved from the top down; it must be co-created with the people who live its consequences every day.
Conclusion
The vision that emerged from Kitui and Migori was profound: a future where young people can embrace digital health without losing their rights, and where those most affected by inequities are no longer forgotten. Kitui and Migori proved that when people come together with honesty and respect, even the most sensitive issues can be discussed constructively. What matters now is supporting youth and local leaders to hold similar forums, building digital literacy, and ensuring that future policies are shaped by the people most affected. These two counties showed that constructive dialogue is a habit we must nurture if Kenya’s digital transformation is to be truly inclusive and just.
