“Where Are They?” Families Challenge Ruto’s Claim That All Abducted Gen Z Protestors Have Been Released

Nearly one year after Kenya’s Gen-Z protests rocked the nation, families of missing demonstrators are challenging President William Ruto’s recent declaration that “all the people who disappeared or who were abducted, all of them have been brought back to their families and to their homes.”

The President’s statement, made during a joint press briefing with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at State House on Monday, has reopened wounds for families who continue searching for loved ones who vanished during last year’s demonstrations.

“I Haven’t Seen My Son Yet”

Alice Wambui last saw her son, 27-year-old Peter Macharia, on June 24, 2024.

For nearly a year, her life has become an endless cycle of hospital visits and police station inquiries.

“I haven’t seen my son yet,” Wambui told a local newspaper. “When were they released?”

The toll of searching has devastated her life. Wambui has lost jobs, moved houses, and struggled to pay rent as her days are consumed by the desperate search for her son.

Conflicting Realities

President Ruto’s assurance that all abducted individuals have been returned contradicts the experiences of multiple families.

During Monday’s press conference, he stated: “I have given clarity and firm instructions that nothing of that nature will happen again. It was my commitment when I became president that extrajudicial disappearances of Kenyans will not be part of what we are doing as a nation.”

Monica Mwende, whose brother Kalani Muema was reportedly abducted in Mlolongo last December, described the President’s statement as “a wound being reopened.” Muema remains missing, with his phone switched off and no leads on his whereabouts.

“I’ve been visiting the City Mortuary (now Nairobi Funeral Home) frequently and hospitals looking for my brother, hoping that perhaps he is among the unknown persons in these facilities,” Mwende said.

Her mother’s health has deteriorated during the months-long search. “She hadn’t been eating,” Mwende revealed. “When she heard that President Ruto said all who had been abducted had been released, she called me to ask whether my brother had also been released.”

Civil Society Challenges Official Narrative

Human rights organization Vocal Africa has directly challenged the President’s claims.

According to their records, Emmanuel Mukuria, Dennis Chege, and Peter Macharia—who disappeared on June 25, 2024—remain unaccounted for. Additionally, Martin Mbisi and Kalani Muema, reportedly abducted on December 17 in Mlolongo, are still missing.

“These names are not isolated cases,” said Hussein Khalid of Vocal Africa. “Contrary to the President’s claim, several individuals remain unaccounted for.”

The organization says it has documented dozens of cases through testimonies, field investigations, and partnerships with local networks, with many families living in fear amid what they describe as “a cycle of pain, silence, and official denial.”

Alarming Statistics

A recent report by Missing Voices, a coalition of human rights organizations, indicates Kenya recorded 55 enforced disappearance cases in 2024—a fivefold increase from 2023’s 10 cases.

Even the state agency Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported 82 abduction cases since June 2024. In January, the discovery of two bodies—Justus Mutumwa Musyimi and Martin Mwau—at the Nairobi Funeral Home brought tragic closure for some families while deepening anxiety for others still searching.

Unanswered Questions

As the one-year mark approaches since the first wave of disappearances during the Gen-Z protests, families continue to demand answers from the government. For now, they remain caught between hope and grief, clinging to the possibility their loved ones might return.

“If he is in your custody, dead or alive, please release him,” pleaded Mwende, referring to her missing brother who was their family’s breadwinner.

As President Ruto faces mounting pressure over the discrepancies between his statements and families’ experiences, their question remains painfully simple: Where are our relatives?

A 2024 report by KNCHR revealed that security forces killed at least 63 people and injured 600 others during the Gen-Z protests.