Protests Erupt in Embu Over Missing Youth Amid Surge in Abductions

EMBU, Kenya – Residents of Embu town on Friday blocked roads and lit fires in a protest demanding the release of Billy Mwangi, a 24-year-old abducted six days ago.

Mwangi was reportedly seized by four armed, masked men from a barber shop in Embu on Saturday, December 21.

Witnesses claim the assailants fled in a double-cabin pickup truck toward the Embu-Nairobi Highway.

Despite intensive searches across the county by his family, his whereabouts remain unknown.

Mwangi’s family is baffled by the motive behind the abduction but suspects a controversial social media post he made on X (formerly Twitter) may have made him a target.

The post, which used an AI-generated image critical of President William Ruto, has drawn speculation that it could be linked to his disappearance.

The young man’s case is the latest in a troubling pattern.

He is one of seven youths abducted this December after sharing contentious social media posts targeting President Ruto and his administration.

Other victims include Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, Rony Kiplang’at, and Gideon Kibet, popularly known as Kibet Bull.

Since June, 82 individuals have reportedly been abducted under mysterious circumstances, according to data from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

Of these, 29 remain unaccounted for, leaving families and activists demanding answers.

Local authorities, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Police Service (NPS), have denied any involvement in the abductions.

However, the denials have done little to quell public anger.

Human rights groups are calling for an independent investigation into the rising cases of abduction and enforced disappearances, which they say undermine the country’s democratic fabric.