Kenya parliament to vote on amendments meant to improve security

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta shakes hands after addressing a special Parliamentary session at Parliament Building in the capital Nairobi October 6, 2014. REUTERS//PSCU/Handout via Reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's parliament is due to vote on Thursday on a bill to let police hold terror-related suspects for a year and take other measures that rights activists say would threaten civil liberties and free speech.

The proposed amendments to the existing security law, which include extending the time suspects in terror-related cases can be held without charge to 360 days from 90 days, follows a spate of bloody attacks by Islamist militants on Kenya's border region with Somalia that killed dozens of people.