Kenya: President promises end of kidnapping and disappearance

Kenya: President promises end of kidnapping and disappearance

Nairobi, Kenya - In a remarkable turn, the Kenyan President William Ruto promised to end the kidnapping of opponents of government. Previously, he had described the wave of missing person reports as "fake news". Ruto as well as his government officials and the police have assured months that there are no kidnappings. He asked the families to name the names of the missing people and told Parliament that the reports were invented to damage the reputation of his government. Since a protest in June against a controversial Finance law 82 Critics of the government disappeared, but some of them have reappeared.

The statements of President Ruto

In a speech on Saturday, Ruto did not recognize the government for the disappearance of the people. Instead, he asked the parents to better pay attention to their children. "What was said about kidnappings that we will stop them so that the Kenyan youth can live in peace," said Ruto in a stadium in Homa Bay in the west of the country.

chronology of the missing activists

allegations of human rights violations

Human rights defenders claim that all the missing activists and critics of the government have been pursued by government. The protests were initially organized online before attacking the streets. The human rights activist Bob Njagi, who said this summer he was kidnapped, reacted to Ruto's comment: "It was an admission that these kidnaps would happen under her supervision, if not by her."

personal fates and perpetrator identity

njagi, who heads the Free Kenya Movement, described the horrific circumstances of his kidnapping. It was dragged out of a minibus by four masked men, folded blindly and tortured. "These men only give us one meal a day - Ugali (corn porridge) with cabbage or beans," he reported. Up to Ruto's comments, the Kenyan government had always denied all allegations of the kidnapping.

The voices of the relatives

Family members and supporters of the missing fights for education. Gerald Mwangi, whose son has been missing since Saturday, hopes that Ruto will hold his word. Billy Mwangi disappeared in front of his hairdressing salon, shortly after he had posted an edited photo of Ruto that showed him in a coffin. "I am doing my own little investigation," said his father, hoping for his son's well -being.

criticism and international attention

civil society groups and professional associations have convicted the kidnappings and spoke of "compulsory disappearance". While a civilian police control organ is investigating the incidents, many Kenyans have little trust in their independence. Rituals of fear and repression accompany the current situation, while hope for justice and freedom in the Kenyan society blossomed.

"We believe in God and I believe that my son will be freed," said Mwangi.