The mystery surrounding the disappearance of a number of Kenyans linked to the June 25 memorial protests has deepened after the National Police Service denied involvement in any abductions.
This comes even as human rights organisations accused security agencies of illegally detaining protesters and demanded that those missing be produced before court.
Human Rights groups on Friday said at least four people remain unaccounted for following the protests, while seven others who were arrested in public have since resurfaced after they were tortured and dumped in different locations, raising fresh questions over who is behind the alleged abductions.
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Vocal Africa Chief Executive Officer Hussein Khalid said the organisation had confirmed four cases of people who remain missing since the start of June.
"We can confirm four people have been abducted so far since the start of June. The families of Evan Omondi, Maximilian Kiarie and Michael Osura are looking for their kin who were abducted on different locations and days. We demand accountability from the National Police Service and, if arrested, the abductees be presented in courts or police stations," Mr Khalid said.
The rights lobby insisted that some of those who disappeared were seized in broad daylight during the June 25 memorial demonstrations, making the circumstances of their disappearance difficult to reconcile with official accounts.
Amnesty International Kenya said all seven individuals who later resurfaced had been arrested publicly during the ‘Justice for Our Fallen’ procession but were never booked in police Occurrence Books before allegedly being abandoned on roadsides and in bushes.
"Arrested in public. Never booked in the Occurrence Book. Days later, found abandoned on roadsides and in bushes, alleging torture and brutal beatings. How many more promises to investigate before there is accountability? Kenyans deserve justice, not endless commitments," the organisation said.
Police officers arresting a protestor at Kencom bus stop in Nairobi on June 25,2026 during the second commemoration of the Anti Finance Bill 2024.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
It added that the alleged sequence of public arrests, secret detention and subsequent abandonment of the victims pointed to enforced disappearances and serious constitutional violations.
"How does a lawful public arrest end with people being dumped on roadsides, critically injured? This is brutality and an assault on the Constitution and the rule of law. Those responsible must be identified, investigated and held accountable," Amnesty Kenya said.
Police officers arrest protesters outside Parliament Buildings on June 25, 2026 during the second anniversary of the Gen Z anti-Finance Bill protests.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
The comments by the activists come in the backdrop of a statement by the National Police Service which strongly rejected allegations linking its officers to abductions, dismissing the claims as "false, misleading and unsupported by any credible evidence."
In a statement issued by police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, the Service maintained that it only carries out lawful arrests that are recorded in police Occurrence Books and that suspects are presented before court within the timelines required by law.
"The NPS does not abduct people. Its mandate is unequivocal: to maintain law and order, prevent and detect crime, protect life and property, and arrest suspects strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the law," the statement said.
The Service further said no police station was currently holding any person reported or alleged to have been abducted and urged anyone with credible information on missing persons to report the matter to the nearest police station.
The Police also said investigations into missing persons reports are conducted promptly and claimed that some previous disappearance cases had turned out to have been staged with the intention of misleading the public or undermining confidence in the Service.
“Anyone with credible information regarding a missing person or an alleged abduction is urged to report to the nearest police station,” Mr Muchiri said in the statement.
