Nearly a year after her son vanished during Kenya’s mass protests, Susan Wangari is still searching, for answers, for justice, and for peace. Her 24-year-old son, Emmanuel Mukuria, disappeared on June 25, 2024, the day anti-tax demonstrations swept across Nairobi and turned deadly.
“I wish he were dead; at least I could visit his grave,” Wangari said from her modest home in Kasarani slum. Since that day, she has scoured morgues, hospitals, and police stations with no word of his whereabouts.
Mukuria, a minibus tout, was reportedly arrested during the chaos in the city centre. Two men later told Wangari they had shared a police cell with him and were tortured while being interrogated about the protests. One of the men, released in February, raised her hopes that her son might still be alive, in secret detention.
Wangari’s anguish is mirrored by dozens of other families whose loved ones vanished during or after the protests. Rights groups say at least 60 people were killed and more than 80 abducted by security forces, with many still missing.
In a rare admission, President William Ruto acknowledged last month that some of those detained had been forcibly disappeared, but claimed they had all since been returned to their families. Rights groups dispute this, accusing the authorities of failing to investigate or hold anyone accountable.
Inquiries to both the president’s office and the police about Mukuria’s case yielded no answers, only finger-pointing. “The matter is still under investigation,” said an officer at the station where Wangari reported her son missing.
Other families are still waiting for justice. Among them is Gillian Munyao, whose 29-year-old son, Rex Masai, was the first to die during the protests, shot in broad daylight. “We are hoping for the best but we are not near the truth,” she said, decrying delays in the inquest into his death.
A lack of witnesses, some reportedly intimidated, has stalled progress. “One potential witness feared he might be forcibly disappeared,” Munyao said.
Human rights groups blame institutional inertia and a lack of political will. “Was it necessary to unleash such brute force against innocent youth?” asked Hussein Khalid, head of Vocal Africa. He estimates attending between 20 and 30 funerals in the aftermath.
For some politicians, the issue has already faded. “People were killed, we sympathised, we moved on,” MP Bashir Abdullahi said during a recent parliamentary session.
But for families like Wangari’s and Masai’s, the pain remains raw. “The wound will never heal,” said Chrispin Odawa, Masai’s father. For them, the search for justice, and for their children, continues.
Written By Rodney Mbua
