NAIROBI, Kenya- Activist Davis Lichuma, who had been reported missing following his arrest during the June 25 anniversary protests in Nairobi, has been found alive and rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) with injuries, colleagues said on Sunday.
Lichuma, a member of the Mathare Social Justice Centre, had been unaccounted for since he was arrested during the June 25 demonstrations marking the second anniversary of the deadly 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests.
His colleagues said he was found injured and unable to speak before being taken to KNH for specialised treatment.
He was among 6 other human rights defenders arrested in the glare of cameras, but were never booked at any police station within Nairobi or produced in court.
His reappearance comes a day after human rights organisations issued an ultimatum demanding that authorities produce him, alleging that he had been held incommunicado following his arrest.
The National Police Service earlier said in a statement that a probe had been launched to establish his whereabouts.
Lichuma was the last activist who remained unaccounted for after six others who disappeared following the June 25 protests were found on Saturday in different parts of Nairobi.
According to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Amnesty International Kenya, the six activists said they had been beaten, tortured and abandoned after being arrested during the demonstrations.
They were later admitted to hospital for treatment.
Those previously found include Collins Ochieng, Muteti Mulinge, Michael Ngigi, Elisha Alam, Fredrick Ojiro and Christine Walubengo.
Rights groups said they were discovered in different locations across Nairobi after disappearing for more than 24 hours following their arrest during the protests.
The activists had been participating in nationwide commemorations marking the second anniversary of the June 25, 2024, anti-government demonstrations in which dozens of protesters were killed after Parliament was stormed during opposition to the Finance Bill.
The latest developments have intensified scrutiny over allegations of enforced disappearances, torture and unlawful detention linked to the June 25 commemorations.
Amnesty International Kenya and the KHRC have called for independent investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), urging authorities to establish what happened to the activists while they were missing and hold those responsible accountable.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said 355 people were arrested during the June 25 demonstrations over various alleged offences.
Rights groups, however, have maintained that all those arrested must be processed in accordance with the Constitution and that allegations of enforced disappearances and torture must be investigated independently.