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End pain and despair of families over missing kin
One of the most harrowing experiences for many people is having a loved one just disappear without a trace. Since last June’s GenZ protests in which 60 young people were killed, some are still missing and their families have been scouring mortuaries in vain for their bodies.
A Kenya National Commission on Human Rights report says that security forces killed at least 63 people and injured over 600 during the anti-tax protests. Another 1,376 were arbitrarily arrested, and 74 forcibly disappeared. Twenty-six are still missing.
For the families of those missing, closure will only be possible when the bodies are found. The agony of the mystery and suspense that linger on months later is traumatic.
This pain and despair is devastating the affected families. Many of the missing people disappeared following police raids. Human rights groups have been helping families to trace their missing kin.
This arrest, detention, abduction, or other deprivation of liberty by State agents is a violation of constitutional rights. The law requires that any person arrested for a suspected crime must be taken to court within 24 hours of arrest. This is in line with the legal principle of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. It places the burden of proof on the prosecution.
Some of the disappearances have been linked to Somalia-based terror group Al-Shabaab and security operations against the insurgents. A human rights group documented 82 cases from 2012 to 2023 among Kenyan Muslims, especially at the coast. And elite anti-terror units have also been accused of involvement.
The apparent ignoring of court orders to produce people believed to be in police custody is eroding public confidence in the Judiciary.
Some families have been waiting in silence for many years, still holding onto hope that their missing members will return one day. This issue that the authorities should give the serious attention that it deserves.
