Legal Notice No. 157 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act takes effect, criminalises support, funding and propaganda
By Kass Digital || NAIROBI, Sept 22, 2025
The government has formally proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb-ur-Tahrir as terror entities, a move officials say strengthens the country’s legal arsenal against violent extremism.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen published the order in Legal Notice No. 157 of the Kenya Gazette Supplement dated September 19, 2025, citing Section 3(3) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Cap. 59B).
“The entities specified in the Schedule are declared to be specified entities under section 3(3) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act,” reads part of the Gazette notice.
The order declares the two organizations “specified entities,” making it a criminal offence to be a member, provide support, fundraise, or distribute propaganda on their behalf. The directive takes immediate effect and remains valid until revoked by the Cabinet Secretary or overturned by the courts.
Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, once a group is gazetted, authorities gain powers to freeze bank accounts, deregister front organizations, and prosecute individuals providing support.
Security experts say this makes the designation significant because it targets not only armed activity but also financial and ideological networks.
The move places the country in line with a growing list of jurisdictions that have outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, a political-religious movement with roots in Egypt, and Hizb-ur-Tahrir, known globally for agitating for the restoration of a caliphate.
Both groups have been accused of exploiting social grievances to spread extremist ideologies.
With the new designation, authorities now have wider latitude to disrupt suspected recruitment, fundraising, and dissemination of extremist literature.
Security agencies are expected to increase monitoring of institutions and online platforms that could be used to advance the groups’ agenda.
The Gazette notice does not carry an expiry date, indicating its permanence unless successfully challenged in court. Previous proscription orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act have remained in force for years, forming the legal foundation for arrests, trials, and asset seizures linked to entities such as Al-Shabaab.
Civil liberties groups have in the past cautioned that enforcement of such measures must balance security concerns with protection of fundamental rights.
For now, however, the government maintains that decisive legal tools are essential in preventing radicalization and shielding communities from extremist violence.
