Four missing Kenyan youths freed amid uproar over abductions

Four young Kenyan men who went missing just before the Christmas holidays have been found alive, family members and rights groups say.

Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, with the state-funded rights group saying that over 80 people have been abducted in the last six months.

The abductions generally target government critics and are widely believed to be the work of security agents, although the government has not admitted responsibility.

They began in June last year during nationwide anti-tax protests, but they increased in December, when AI-generated photos of the president in a coffin were widely shared.

The youth-led protests forced President William Ruto to withdraw a series of planned tax rises and shook his government, leaving his authority badly undermined.

Those released on Monday include 24-year-old student Billy Mwangi in Embu, in the central Mount Kenya region.

Local MP Gitonga Mukunji told journalists that Mr Mwangi “was whipped and beaten while in a dark room. He is traumatised”.

His father said he was not able to discuss what he had gone through and had been taken to hospital.

“He came home around eight in the morning. He walked by himself – his mother and I saw him. We thank everyone who has prayed and supported him,” he told the Daily Nation news site.

Last week, Mr Mwangi’s father broke down in court as he pleaded for his son to be released.

A relative of 22-year-old Peter Muteti, who was seized in the capital on 21 December, told the BBC on Monday that he had been reunited with the family but was disoriented and unable to speak about the ordeal.

Amnesty International Kenya welcomed the releases and urged “the State to free all abductees and hold those responsible accountable”.

Two weeks ago the police denied responsibility for the abductions carried out by men in plain clothes across the country, some of which were captured on CCTV.

On Monday the police released an update acknowledging the freeing of the abducted men, saying they were in already contact with one who had presented himself at a police station.

The police said investigations into all cases of missing people were underway.

Rights groups and other Kenyans have linked the abductions to a shadowy intelligence and counter-terrorism unit of the security forces.

Amid the public uproar, President Ruto said last month: “We are going to stop the abductions so that our youth can live peacefully and have discipline”, while urging parents to take care of their children.

Until now, no-one had been freed since he spoke on 27 December, with activists planning protests on Monday to push the government to act.

Two other youths – Ronny Kiplangat and Bernard Kavuli – have also been released, their families told local media.

Mr Kavuli, a content creator, was seized on the outskirts of the city in December, while Mr Kiplangat is the brother of satirical cartoonist Kibet Bull, who also went missing last month.

Kibet Bull is known for his silhouette cartoon memes critical of the president. Two others were seized after posting AI-generated images of the president in a coffin.

Police said that Mr Kavuli had been assisting them with their investigations after he had presented himself to a police station at Moi’s Bridge in western Kenya.

A statement said that they would reach out to the three others “and their families and give them all the necessary support as we seek further information to assist ongoing investigations”.

The Law Society of Kenya has filed a legal case against the state, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of seven individuals abducted last month, including those who have now been released.

The situation continues to stoke fear across the country, with parents worried about the safety of their children and activists vowing to maintain pressure until all missing persons are accounted for.