Activists vow to maintain pressure against the government until those missing are accounted for
Five young Kenyan men – including a popular cartoonist – 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 authorities have not admitted responsibility.
They began in June last year during nationwide anti-tax protests, but 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.
Kibet Bull, known for his silhouette cartoon memes critical of the president, announced his release on Monday afternoon on X to much fanfare.
He told his 105,000 followers that he had been dropped off in the town of Luanda, nearly 370 km (229 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, where he was last seen in December.
Kibet Bull said straight after he was released he went to a disco.
His mother told the BBC she “rejoiced” after she heard the news that her son had returned.
“I gave him a call and we talked, we didn’t talk much, the moment he told me ‘I am Kibet’ and I heard his voice, I screamed, I celebrated until he hung up,” she said.
The others 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.”
Mr Mwangi’s father said his son was not able to discuss what he had gone through adding that he 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 Nairobi, 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.
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.
On Monday the police released an update acknowledging the freeing of the men, saying they were already in contact with one of the abductees, Bernard Kavuli, who had presented himself at a police station.
The police said investigations into all cases of missing people were under way.
One other man – Ronny Kiplangat – has also been released, his family told local media.
Mr Kavuli, a content creator, was seized on the outskirts of Nairobi in December, while Mr Kiplangat is the brother of Kibet Bull.
Two others were seized after posting AI-generated images of the president.
At least 24 people are still missing.
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.
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