President William Ruto has reassured the nation that cases of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances will not happen under his watch.
Ruto, who spoke during a joint press briefing with the visiting Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb, revealed that there are no missing persons currently in the country as alleged by some quarters.
He stated that all those who went missing have been reunited with their families.
“All the people who disappeared or were abducted have been brought back to their families and their homes,” he said.
“I have given firm instructions that nothing of that kind of nature will ever happen again. It was my commitment as I became President that the extrajudicial disappearance of Kenyans would not be part of what we are doing as a nation.”
The Head of State was responding to a question from a journalist who had asked about the plans put by the government to ensure such cases do not happen again.
The journalist had cited reports from right groups.
According to Missing Voices, enforced disappearances increased by 450 per cent in 2024, with many of the cases reported during the anti-Finance Bill protests.
The report released on May 7 documented 55 cases of enforced disappearances in 2024.
“Some of the vehicles did not have local number plates. This makes it difficult to determine with absolute accuracy the identity of the security officers responsible for a series of enforced disappearances in the country,” read the report in part.
“Most victims of enforced disappearances were neither prosecuted nor allowed to demonstrate their innocence in a court of law. They have not received justice or compensation by the time of the report.”
Previously, security agencies have distanced themselves from the abductions. This is despite allegations made by senior government officials, including former Attorney General Justin Muturi.
