NAIROBI, Kenya – In the latest 2024 Missing Voices report released on Wednesday, the coalition revealed a troubling spike in enforced disappearances, highlighting a surge of 450 percent compared to the previous year.
This disturbing figure paints a grim picture of the ongoing challenges facing Kenya in terms of extrajudicial killings and human rights violations, particularly involving the police.
The report documents a total of 159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, with police killings accounting for 65 percent of the incidents, while enforced disappearances made up 35 percent.
Of these, the year 2024 recorded the highest-ever number of enforced disappearances—55 cases—marking an alarming increase of 24 percent from 2023.
According to the findings, June and July were particularly deadly months, consistent with trends seen in previous years.
June saw the highest number of police-related killings, totaling 38, followed by 11 deaths in July.
These tragic deaths occurred primarily during the Gen Z demonstrations, further illustrating the deepening crisis in public order management.
Nairobi Leads in Extrajudicial Killings
The report highlighted that Nairobi was the deadliest county for extrajudicial killings, with 38 cases, followed by Kiambu (9) and Migori (6).
These killings primarily targeted youth aged 18-34, with 79 young men making up the majority of the victims.
The report also drew attention to the disturbing gender disparity in police killings, with men representing 91% of the victims.
Young males, in particular, bear the brunt of the violence, further reflecting the vulnerability of Kenya’s youth to police brutality.
Escalating Police Repression and Impunity
Despite the high number of killings and disappearances, the report laments the lack of accountability, with less than 2% of police-related extrajudicial killings reaching the courtroom.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has only pursued a limited number of cases, with most complaints either dismissed or left to languish due to insufficient investigation or political interference.
The document calls for urgent reforms, urging the National Police Service (NPS) to radically overhaul its approach to policing, especially during election periods and public demonstrations.
The report stresses the importance of addressing “command responsibility” to hold senior officers accountable for abuses that cannot be directly attributed to individual officers.
Action Plan: Justice and Accountability for Victims
In response to the rising tide of police violence, Missing Voices is calling for several key actions from both the government and civil society:
- Radical Police Reforms: The NPS must take urgent steps to prevent further violence, ensuring that officers are properly trained to manage public protests and demonstrations without resorting to excessive force.
- Strengthening Oversight: IPOA and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) must act swiftly on cases involving command responsibility and public order violations.
- Victim Reparations: Missing Voices urges Parliament to allocate sufficient funds to the Victim Protection Fund to ensure reparations for victims and their families.
- Ratification of International Conventions: The government is called upon to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances and to pass domestic legislation criminalizing enforced disappearances.
- Establishment of the National Coroners Service: The implementation of the National Coroner’s Service Act is essential to facilitate independent investigations into all suspicious deaths in police custody or during public demonstrations.
- Community Policing Initiatives: To rebuild public trust, the NPS must enhance community policing efforts to bridge the divide between security agencies and the public.
The coalition has received support from various international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists, who have echoed the call for immediate reforms.
The report emphasizes that without urgent action, the cycle of violence and impunity will continue to escalate, further eroding public confidence in the ability of the government to protect its citizens.
