Acknowledge Extrajudicial Killings - Ruto Told After Remarks About Abducted Kenyans

President William Ruto has been told to acknowledge extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances following his recent remarks on the abductions of Kenyans. 

In a statement on Monday, May 12, People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua called on Ruto to admit the full extent of the alleged abuses by security agencies and ensure accountability for those involved.

"Now that William Ruto has acknowledged abductions, he needs to go further and acknowledge extrajudicial killings and disappearances, as well as the role of security forces in these acts.

"Ruto must also take steps to hold the culprits accountable, including those identified in the BBC documentary," she stated. 

Notably, according to Missing Voices, enforced disappearances increased by 450 per cent in 2024, with many of the cases reported during the anti-Finance Bill protests.

The report released on May 7 documented 55 cases of enforced disappearances in 2024.

"Some of the vehicles did not have local number plates. This makes it difficult to determine with absolute accuracy the identity of the security officers responsible for a series of enforced disappearances in the country.

"Most victims of enforced disappearances were neither prosecuted nor allowed to demonstrate their innocence in a court of law. They have not received justice or compensation by the time of the report," the report read in part.

Earlier Monday, Ruto sparked mixed reactions after saying Kenyans who were abducted during the Gen Z protests were reunited with their families. 

He made the revelation while responding to questions raised by journalists during the joint press briefing with Finland's President Alexander Stubb.

While Ruto did not reveal those who were behind the abductions, he said accountability measures were being put in place to ensure that such incidents do not occur again.

"All the people who disappeared or were abducted in what you said (Gen Z protests) have been brought back to their families and their homes. 

"I have given firm instructions that nothing of that kind of nature will ever happen again. It was my commitment as I became President that the extrajudicial disappearance of Kenyans would not be part of what we are doing as a nation," he stated.