Plainclothes police officers arrest demonstrators in Nairobi on June 6, 2023, during protests against the Finance Bill 2023.
At the height of youth-led anti-government protests, President William Ruto denied the existence of abductions in the country and defended the use of plain-clothes police to effect arrests.
At the time, at least 39 people had been detained and held incommunicado by the police following the June 25 invasion of Parliament.
But the Head of State argued that there is nothing wrong with police officers being in civilian clothing while effecting arrests, adding that there are constitutionally allowed timelines for detaining an arrested person.
Six months later, there are 82 cases of enforced disappearances — seven in December alone — have been recorded with 29 individuals still unaccounted for, according to the State-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)
This wave of abductions has drawn condemnation from rights groups, lawyers and politicians.
The latest victims are prominent cartoonist Gideon Kibet, alias Kibet Bull, known for his controversial social media posts critical of President Ruto’s administration; Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli and Rony Kiplang’at.
Fake news
It took the President up to November to come out and say that forced disappearances and abductions have no place in Kenya.
But again, his pronouncement left a lot to be desired after saying a number of the cases have been resolved while others have been uncovered as fake news, undermining efforts to find genuine cases of missing persons.
“A good number of disappearances have also turned out to be arrests made by police officers. In such cases, the suspects have been duly arraigned,” the President said while speaking during the State of the Nation address.
Out of frustration, some Kenyans have taken it upon themselves to try and solve the unfolding complex puzzle, demanding answers in the process.
The disappearances, primarily involving young men who criticise the government online, have remained shrouded in mystery, leaving behind grieving families and a trail of unanswered questions with the government’s lackadaisical response exacerbating the already dire situation.
Even though President Ruto on Friday promised an end to the abductions following the latest spate of disappearances, his speech also raised more questions than answers.
Appearing to speak from both sides of the mouth, the President asked parents to ensure their children are well-raised, he also urged them to monitor their behaviour, which left a lot to be desired.
“All that about abductions we will stop so that Kenyan youth can live in peace. But at the same time, they (the youth) must have discipline in order for us to build the country together,” said Dr Ruto.
“Children are a blessing from God. Parents should take care of them and the government will do its part,” he added during an event in Homa Bay County.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen also promised that the police would act on any reports of abducted or missing Kenyans, but warned against truant behaviour online.
The President’s comments were in reaction to a direct call by opposition leader Raila Odinga for him to stop the abductions, saying it was setting a dangerous trend—and that social media truancy should not result in such harassment and torture of the youth.
This, as questions mount on whether the promise by President Ruto means new knowledge of the abductions—and whether there was a link between his call to parents and the recent incidents.
“We want to get to a new year. Let sins not be repeated as we cross over. All youths should be safe. I have told my friend President Ruto to ensure cases where youths are arrested, handcuffed, taken away, locked up and tortured are stopped. Let it stop. Whoever does this should be arrested and locked in jail for us to live in peace,” Mr Odinga had said in Homa Bay on Friday.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Friday raised questions about the abductions: the possible working location of the abductions squad; their command leadership, how they operated, and whether or not the President knew about this and what he had done.
Mr Gachagua alleged the unit was under the commander of one Mr Abel and was operating on the 21st floor of a building in the city centre.
Mr Gachagua questioned his former boss’s loud silence over the issue which has been around for at least six months now. The former DP also questioned the regime’s motives.
“This unit comprises personnel from several government agencies but is not under police supervision. Abel is a cousin of a very senior government official. We will reveal his second name in a week,” said Mr Gachagua.
Police commander
“These people are not answerable to the police commander. Your guess is as good as mine as to who the commander is.”
The former Mathira MP’s fiery press briefing comes after Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja distanced the police from the abductions.
The IG said that his team was not involved in any abduction and there is no police station that is holding any abductees.
On the other hand, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohamed Amin also refuted claims of DCI officers being involved in the abductions. He told Kenyans to distinguish between lawful arrests and kidnapping which is a crime.
Nonetheless, Mr Odinga was not buying the excuses, raising concern about the identity of the abductors. He said that they resembled police officers rather than civilians.
“They have handcuffs, these are not goods which can buy in a supermarket. They are special and only owned by the State. Who are these people with handcuffs and have the confidence to abduct people in front of others in broad daylight?” He asked in an interview with Citizen TV.
Mr Odinga said Kenya should not be allowed to slip back to the era of abductions and torture like what happened at the Nyayo torture chambers.
He said that the abducted youth used their freedom of expression to express their views on social media.
Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua has accused the police of being directly responsible for the wave of disappearances.
For his part, Wiper chief Kalonzo Musyoka said Kenyans need to know where the abducted people are. He called for their unconditional release.
“Where are the abducted young people? Release the abductees to their families immediately,” he said.
The latest disappearances have primarily involved young men who have criticised Dr Ruto online. Human rights groups have dismissed police denial of involvement and demanded the release of the youth.
Activists said that if, indeed, the police do not know who has been abducting Kenyans, then it means there could be criminals out there harming law-abiding citizens.
It then raises the question as to why and who is the mastermind or who stands to benefit from unleashing the mayhem.
“It is not enough for the Inspector General of Police to simply deny complicity without clearly outlining the steps being taken to address these serious violations,” Law Society Kenya President Faith Odhiambo said.
She called on the police to take immediate and decisive action in response to the growing concerns over abductions and enforced disappearances nationwide.
Despite numerous reported cases of abductions, the police have shown little interest in investigating the cases, or even analysing handy evidence such as CCTV footage.
Enforced disappearances
Kituo Cha Sheria Board of Directors Chairperson Justus Munyithya criticised the lack of accountability and called for the enactment of laws to criminalise enforced disappearances.
“Seven of the recent abduction cases were reported in the month of December, with six of the people abducted still missing, bringing to 29 the total number of persons still missing since June 2024,” he said.
Mr Munyithya criticised the lack of accountability and transparency surrounding these incidents, urging the IG to conduct thorough investigations rather than distancing law enforcement from the issue.
On the other hand, Chevening Kenya Alumni criticised the trend of young people being abducted for expressing dissenting views on digital platforms.
“The Constitution demands identification of police officers carrying out the arrests, being produced in court within 24 hours of arrest and a legal representation through the process. The same Constitution also sets out the rights and freedoms of citizens including freedom of expression. In the current cases in the public domain that have caused a national outcry, none of these rights were observed with suspects kidnapped by unidentified people in non-identified vehicles based on their expressions through digital media,” the alumni association said while demanding answers.
Deafening silence
In a statement on Saturday, a lobby group of Kenyans in the diaspora — the Justice and Equity Council UK chapter — expressed concern over the continuing forced disappearances and abductions of Kenyans.
“The list of Kenyans who have similarly been forced to disappear or been abducted is growing and we are baffled by your deafening silence and the silence the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration which for the time being, is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of Kenyans in their disparate composition,” the statement signed by chairperson Sebastian Onyango and secretary Janet Sutton reads.
The group stated that the two police bosses should be fired following their recent statements in response to Kenyans’ uproar over the missing people, saying that they failed to provide the answers that the people were expecting to hear from them.
Additional reporting Mercy Simiyu and Kevin Cheruiyot
