President William Ruto has declared that he has not yet received any specific names of individuals who have been abducted or gone missing since the recent antigovernment demonstrations began.
Speaking during a town hall meeting in Kisumu on Thursday night, Ruto urged families with missing persons who might be linked to the protests to provide their names to the Interior Ministry for further investigation.
The President’s comments come amidst reports of severe crackdowns by security forces on demonstrators, which, according to human rights organizations, have resulted in at least 50 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Ruto assured that if any cases of abduction or disappearance are reported to him, he will take immediate and decisive action.
“If there are families whose child, friend, or relative went to a protest and has not returned, I need to know their names so I can take firm action,” Ruto stated.
“As of now, I do not have any names of those who have been abducted or disappeared.”
His remarks were in response to concerns raised by a participant who claimed that some demonstrators were still missing, allegedly due to actions by state agents.
The President emphasized that his administration will not condone any extrajudicial killings.
“I do not want a situation where Kenyans are found dead, like how people used to be discovered executed in places like River Yala,” Ruto said.
“Under my leadership, no Kenyan should end up in such a situation.”
Ruto reiterated that every Kenyan has the constitutional right to demonstrate and express their views without fear of mistreatment.
“Kenyans have the right to freedom of association within the law, and no one should face inhumane treatment due to their political beliefs,” he added.
Despite Ruto’s assurances, there have been reports of abductions allegedly involving state agents during the protests, with some incidents occurring in broad daylight.
A July report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) noted that 66 people were reported missing or abducted during the protests, while 1,376 were arrested.
