NAIROBI, Kenya- Four youthful Kenyans abducted in December 2024 have reached out to their families, offering a glimmer of relief amid a growing storm of national outrage over enforced disappearances.
On Monday morning, the families of Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, and Rony Kiplangat confirmed contact with their missing loved ones, with Mwangi and Muteti even meeting their families in person.
Rony Kiplangat was found in Machakos County, while Bernard Kavuli, who was abducted in Ngong, resurfaced in Kitale.
Peter Muteti was located in Nairobi’s Central Business District, disoriented but safe.
His family reports that he is now recovering at home.
However, the whereabouts of cartoonist Kibet Bull remain a troubling mystery.
Kibet’s family has heard only from his brother, Rony Kiplangat, who went missing shortly before Kibet’s abduction.
Meanwhile, Steve Mbisi, another reported victim of enforced disappearance, remains unaccounted for, deepening the anguish for his family.
Mounting Pressure on President Ruto
The resurgence of these young men has reignited public fury over the government’s apparent complicity in abductions used to silence dissent.
President William Ruto faces growing pressure to address these human rights violations, with civil society groups and international partners like the United States condemning the spate of disappearances.
Critics argue that the pattern of abductions signals an alarming descent into authoritarianism.
Enforced disappearances, once associated with Kenya’s dark past, have resurfaced under Ruto’s administration, casting a shadow over his promises of democratic governance.
Victims’ families and activists have repeatedly demanded action to dismantle shadowy networks behind these crimes.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been leading calls for release of those abducted and end to the vice.
“This is not the Kenya we fought for,” lamented a member of Missing Voices Kenya, a coalition advocating against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
Public anger has also turned toward politicians allied with Ruto, whose remarks have seemingly normalized these grave abuses.
Notably, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah have made comments perceived as glorifying abductions as a method of controlling dissent.
Sudi said in an event attended by the President that it would take him three days to end youth criticism on social media if he had been appointed Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Minority Leader Junet Mohammed’s similar rhetoric has further emboldened perpetrators of these heinous acts.
“This casual dismissal of abductions as political tools is both reckless and inhumane,” remarked Meshack Mayende, human rights defender.
“It reveals the moral bankruptcy of leaders who ought to defend, not undermine, constitutional freedoms.”
As some families celebrate the return of their loved ones, the joy is tinged with sorrow for those still missing.
The plight of cartoonists Kibet Bull and Steve Mbisi underscores the urgency of accountability and justice.
According to the state-sponsored Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, at least 82 people have been abducted since June 2024.
The latest wave of abductions was witnessed in December 2024, when several young men were abducted from their homes or streets.
Some of the missing people have emerged in mortuaries.
