Lobby group faults Ruto over remarks on abductions

Vocal Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid in a past appearance on Spice FM. [Courtesy]

Human rights group VOCAL Africa has dismissed President William Ruto's claim that all victims of forced disappearances and abductions were reunited with their families, terming the statement inaccurate and insensitive.

Vocal Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid said the president's remarks, made during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb yesterday , do not reflect the reality faced by families still searching for their loved ones after the 2024 Gen Z protests.

"We find this statement not only inaccurate but deeply dismissive of the lived realities of Kenyan families still searching for their loved ones months after the disappearances," said Khalid.

The group said it has documented multiple unresolved cases through testimonies, including the disappearances of Emmanuel Mukuria, Dennis Chege, and Peter Macharia in Nairobi on June 25, as well as Martin Mbisi and Kalani Muema, allegedly abducted on December 17.

"The names are not isolated cases but part of a broader pattern of repression and impunity that the state has yet to acknowledge," the organisation added.

The rights group is now urging the government to acknowledge the disappearances, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide closure to affected families.