On a bustling January day in 2025, the heart of Nairobi reverberates with the chants of protesters holding placards high above their heads. Their message is as resolute as the sun beating down upon Kimathi Street: an insistent demand for answers to what they allege is a troubling surge of enforced disappearances targeting vocal government critics.
In the tangled and vibrant tapestry of Kenyan life, human rights groups have sounded the alarm, pointing accusing fingers at the police. They claim a systemic silencing of dissent as 29 individuals have vanished without a trace after decrying shoddy governance. Among those entwined in this distressing narrative is the distinctive voice of Gideon Kibet, a cartoonist whose satirical pen has rattled the political cage.
Kibet recalls, with a measured mix of terror and dry humor, how the mundane rhythm of his daily routine was violently disrupted last December. While making his way home on a rickety bus winding through the cacophonous streets of Nairobi, unknown shadows pounced. Masked figures swarmed and whisked him away as if yanked from the script of a suspense thriller. Blindfolded by his own shredded shirt, hands bound, he endured a surreal ride that felt more like a nightmare than reality. His art, particularly a biting caricature placing President William Ruto in a darkly humorous casket, had evidently struck a nerve. Fortunately, luck was on Kibet’s side, for he was eventually let go. But many others remain engulfed in silence.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights catalogues Kibet’s tale as one of 82 reported abductions and forced disappearances in just over half a year. While he and a handful of others have been freed to tell their stories, dozens more remain swallowed by the big, bad unknown. Statistical whispers of a 44% spike in these disappearances from September 2023 to August 2024 draw a grim picture that can’t be wished away. The official numbers sing a foreboding tune—52 reported abductions in that time span, against 36 the prior year.
The collective voice of rights groups echoes a shared concern: the victims often seem to be those fearlessly spotlighting governmental missteps and abuses. “It’s an iron fist in a velvet glove scenario, where extrajudicial tactics sow dread amongst those challenging the status quo,” articulates Irungu Houghton, the torchbearer for Amnesty International Kenya. His words resonate with an urgency that stirs emotions like leaves in a storm.
The digital landscape isn’t spared the saga’s sweep—a new arena where grievances over inflated taxes and deep-rooted corruption unspool. Yet, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen seems to dismiss these cyber dissenters as mere deviant players to be corralled. “Let it be known,” he sternly warns, “we will track you down to the digital realms, for there too, we intend to impose law and order.”
The unfolding drama has spilled into the marble halls of justice. Kenyan lawyers, their conviction as sharp as their black robes, have petitioned the high court, beseeching it to rein in the authority of the police chief. They argue the state dances around accountability with hardly a subtle nod to responsibility. With a rhetorical flourish, Gloria Kimani, a stalwart of the Law Society of Kenya, elucidates, “From July to today, the echoes of our calls for investigation only fall on indifferent ears. Who are the puppet masters behind this disturbingly silent curtain?”
Eyes now turn towards Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin, who have skirted previous court demands like teflon politicians avoiding tough questions. This Friday might finally spotlight their roles in the murky affair as they are summoned—once more—to face justice.
In a world where one’s voice can be as mighty (and as risky) as a sword, the Kenyan populace stands at a crossroads. Will silence prevail, or will the power of collective outcry carve a new path? Surely, the resolution of this story lies not just within courtrooms bathed in fluorescent lights but within the unyielding spirit of a nation refusing to bow down.
Report By Axadle
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
