Amnesty asks Ruto to act on enforced disappearances as 19 cases recorded in 2026

Amnesty International Kenya has called on President William Ruto’s administration to move beyond promises and take concrete action against enforced disappearances.

Amnesty made the call on Sunday, August 30, as Kenya joined the world in marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

The lobby group said the government must establish the truth about people who have disappeared, hold perpetrators accountable and provide effective reparations to victims and their families.

The statement comes days after President William Ruto, during the commemoration of the 16th anniversary of the Constitution of Kenya, acknowledged the pain caused by past violations and said no Kenyan should lose their life, liberty or dignity for criticising the Government, expressing an unpopular opinion or participating in a peaceful demonstration.

Amnesty welcomed the President’s remarks but said they must be backed by action.

“Amnesty International Kenya welcomes this acknowledgment. But words must now be matched with action.”

The organisation cited data from the Missing Voices Coalition showing that six cases of enforced disappearance were documented in Kenya in 2025, alongside 125 cases of police killings.

While the number of documented disappearances declined from the previous year, Amnesty said 19 cases of enforced disappearance and 69 police killings have been recorded in 2026 so far.

Amnesty also raised concerns over reparations for victims of human rights violations.

“On June 15, 2026, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights presented its national reparations framework and report at State House, Nairobi. The report included 35 verified cases of enforced disappearance alongside other human rights violations linked to recent security operations and protests,” read the statement.

Amnesty said victims of enforced disappearance have yet to receive the reparations they are entitled to, despite the State having established a process to compensate victims of violations arising from the protests.

Amnesty has called on the Government to ensure every allegation of enforced disappearance is promptly, independently, impartially, thoroughly and transparently investigated, including cases documented during the 2024 protests.

It wants the Government to disclose the fate and whereabouts of every person subjected to enforced disappearance and ensure those still unlawfully detained are immediately released or brought before an independent and impartial court.

The organisation is also calling for people suspected of criminal responsibility for enforced disappearances to be investigated and, where there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecuted in fair trials regardless of their rank, position or affiliation.

It further wants effective command and individual accountability within security agencies, saying responsibility should not end with junior officers while those who authorised, ordered, facilitated or concealed violations escape scrutiny.

“No one should disappear for exercising their rights. No family should be left without answers. No perpetrator should enjoy impunity.”

Amnesty is also calling for greater independence and resources for the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the Internal Affairs Unit and other oversight institutions investigating alleged police abuses.

It wants Kenya to ratify and domesticate the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and recognise the competence of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive and consider individual complaints.

As Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election, Amnesty has warned that lessons from the past must inform the present, saying political dissent, peaceful protest and criticism of Government should not attract arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance, torture or excessive use of force.