Protesters lit a bonfire to block a road as they demanded the reopening of the Woodley grounds as a public amenity and improved services from the Nairobi County government in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya on July 30, 2024. – Reuters

The Kenyan parliament was in chaos, with protesters flooding the streets and police firing into the crowds. Among them was John, who believed the turmoil could lead to significant political change. However, this would be John's final protest. Days later, he was grabbed by two men in Kibera's slum and forced into an unmarked Subaru. They covered his head with a sack and drove him to a forest. The presence of guns and handcuffs left no doubt in his mind that they were police. "It was terrifying," the 32-year-old recounted to AFP. "I had no idea if they were arresting me or where they were taking me. I thought my life was over."

AFP altered his name due to his fear of retribution from the security forces. The protests began in June in response to highly unpopular tax hikes proposed by President William Ruto. The marches started peacefully but turned violent on June 25 when protesters stormed parliament, facing extreme force from security forces. The Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR), a state-backed group, reports that at least 60 people died during the demonstrations, which continued into July. However, at least 74 were also abducted, and six months later, 26 remain missing. Human Rights Watch (HRW) fears the actual number of disappearances could be much higher, as many are too frightened to report missing relatives.

"These police abductions and killings are dragging the country back to its dark days," warned KNCHR vice-chair Raymond Nyeris. AFP made several requests for comment from Kenyan police but received no response. John said he was severely beaten while in secret custody and was clearly being punished for participating in the protests. His captors repeatedly questioned him: "Who sent you, who is your leader, who paid you?" To John, these questions were absurd since the protests were a spontaneous expression of anger by a young generation fed up with poor services, corruption, and lack of jobs. Seven days later, John bribed his way to freedom, convincing one of his captors to message his sister in Nairobi to arrange a payment of 8,000 shillings ($60). "He had to make a phone call to the DCI (directorate of criminal investigations)... to see if he could release me." His captors photographed and fingerprinted him and kept his phone. John's story is not unique; dozens of similar cases have been reported by local media.

Many are too scared to speak publicly, but AFP spoke with another man who was similarly abducted, beaten, held, and then released without charges. Two other families of missing persons agreed to speak to AFP but withdrew an hour before the meeting. "I never talk to anyone. Even some of my friends, I'm scared to share with them," said John. Rights groups Amnesty International, HRW, KNCHR, and VOCAL Africa all claim Kenya's security forces are behind the abductions. "We strongly believe that the security agencies should answer," KNCHR's Nyeris said. "They are the ones responsible." HRW's research points to a shadowy unit of officers from multiple security agencies, including military intelligence and an anti-terrorism unit.

"The abductors know there will be no accountability," HRW's Otsieno Namwaya told AFP, urging an independent investigation. Abductions also occurred during the protests. In September, rights group VOCAL Africa reported testimonies of people being arrested by officers—some not in uniform—during the demonstrations, only to have their lifeless bodies found days later. The thought haunts Faith, whose cousin Joseph "just vanished" on June 25. The 24-year-old was not interested in politics and had only gone to the city center to collect a parcel, she said. "They thought he was a protester because of his age," said Faith. The family hoped Joseph was just injured in the unrest. Faith visited hospital after hospital and eventually morgues but found no sign. "They just bring all the unidentified bodies, you try and identify," said the 45-year-old mother-of-two. "It was very hard."

The family contacted the police but they refused to help, dismissing missing persons as "the people who stormed parliament." "If they killed him, they should give us the body," Faith said, sobbing. "But if he's alive, how is he? Has he been tortured, what has happened?" On November 21, Ruto addressed the issue of abductions in his annual state of the nation speech. Although he downplayed many claims as "fake news," he also indicated that some accusations were true, saying: "I condemn any excessive or extrajudicial action which puts the life and liberty of any person at risk, including disappearances and threats to life." Ruto said families of those abducted should present their cases to the police watchdog. "He's just lying," said John, who once supported Ruto, with a bitter laugh. John has lost all hope for change and will not protest again. "In Kenya, you don't have the right."

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