VOCAL Africa Statement On President Ruto take on Abducted Kenyans
VOCAL Africa Statement On President Ruto take on Abducted Kenyans Reuniting with Families.
VOCAL Africa takes note of President William Ruto’s statement issued yesterday, in which he asserted that: “All the people who disappeared or who were abducted...all of them have been brought back to their families”. We find this statement not only inaccurate but deeply dismissive of the lived realities of Kenyan families still searching for their loved one’s months after they disappeared or were abducted in the context of the Gen Z-led protests that began in June 2024.
VOCAL Africa has been at the forefront of supporting victims and families affected by enforced disappearances, abductions and extrajudicial killings since the onset of the protests. We have documented numerous cases through direct testimonies, field investigations and partnerships with community networks. Many families continue to live in fear, pain and uncertainty, compounded by official denial and a lack of accountability. Contrary to the President’s claim, several individuals remain unaccounted for. Among them are:
- Emmanuel Mukuria, disappeared on 25th June 2024 in Githurai.
- Dennis Chege, abducted on 25th June 2024 in Nairobi’s CBD.
- Peter Macharia, last seen on 25th June 2024 in Nairobi’s CBD.
- Martin Mbisi, abducted on 17th December 2024 in Molongo.
- Kalani Muema, also disappeared on 17th December 2024 in Molongo.
These names are not isolated cases but represent just a fraction of a broader pattern of repression and impunity that has yet to be adequately acknowledged or addressed by the state. As VOCAL Africa, we categorically reject the narrative that “all” victims have been reunited with their families. We stand in solidarity with the families who are still searching for answers, truth and justice.
As VOCAL Africa, we are ready to present these families to meet with President Ruto (at a place and time of his choosing) so that he may hear firsthand from those whose loved ones are still missing. Healing and justice begin with acknowledgment, not denial.
Hussein Khalid, VOCAL Africa