Kenyans decry continued abduction of government critics

The condemnation follows abductions of cartoonist Gideon Kibet “Kibet Bull”, his brother Rony Kiplang’at, Mr Billy Mwangi, Mr Peter Muteti and Mr Bernard Kavuli. Mr Kibet was reportedly abducted with his brother Kiplang’at.

The cartoonist, a student at Egerton University, is famed for influencing the spread of graphics that some interpret to be silhouettes of a top leader.

Kibet’s sister, Mercy Cherotich, said her brothers were picked up by hooded armed men who arrived in unmarked cars. Social media users offended by the new wave of abductions recirculated images they believed were seen by the authorities as offensive.

They demand the immediate release of those taken.Inspector-General of Police, Douglas Kanja, issued a statement saying security agents are not involved in the abductions, fuelling more anger.

Senator Omtatah called for the resignation of Mr Kanja and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohamed Amin.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Police Service is not involved in any abduction, and there is no police station that is holding the reported abductees,” Mr Kanja said.

“The matter in question is subject to investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority. We appeal to anybody with relevant information about missing persons to report to the nearest police station.”

In their messages, Mr Kanja and Mr Amin did not say if the more than 70 individuals reported missing – eight of them taken in the last four days– have been arrested.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said its investigations had shown “these abductions are perpetuated clandestinely, with unidentified armed persons.”

“The commission notes that those abducted have been vocal dissidents, particularly on social platforms,” the taxpayer-funded agency said in a statement read by its chairperson Roselyne Odede.

The commission said it has recorded 13 more cases of abductions or enforced disappearances in the last three months, bringing to 82 the total cases from June.

“Seven of the recent abductions were reported in December, with six of them still missing, bringing to 29 the number of persons still missing since June 2024,” it said.

Ms Odede condemned the abductions and asked police to follow up on the leads presented. “If these patterns of abductions continue, we shall be retrogressing to the dark days of our history,” she said.

The commission urged Mr Kanja to “let Kenyans know who is perpetuating the abductions and protect them, embark on investigations and arrests and ensure those taken are released.

The abductees are mostly drawn from the netizen population in the Gen Z age group opposed to the policies of the government and President Ruto.

Even as he denied police involvement, Mr Kanja sounded a warning, giving a suggestion the reasons for abductions.

“We call on online groupings and the larger public to refrain from spreading false, fabricated, malicious, distasteful, misinformed and unverified information aimed at tarnishing the reputation and image of the government,” he said.

The courts condemned the abductions on Thursday.

“The Judiciary has taken note of reports of resurfaced abductions. Kenya is a constitutional democracy, where the rule of law stands as a foundational value and guiding principle of governance. Abductions have no place in law and, indeed, are a direct threat to the rights of citizens,” the Judiciary said in a statement.

“We strongly urge security agencies and all connected entities to adhere to the law to safeguard fundamental rights and freedoms.”