The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has called for an immediate end to abductions, secret detention and enforced disappearances in Kenya, describing the practice as a continuing human rights crisis.
In a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the commission said enforced disappearance places individuals “outside the protection of the law” and exposes them to serious violations, including torture and ill-treatment.
KNCHR said its National Reparations Framework, presented to President William Ruto on June 15, documented 35 cases of enforced disappearance.
It said a further 11 cases were recorded during the June 25 protests, involving protesters who were allegedly arrested, held incommunicado and later found to have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment.
“The Commission emphasizes that enforced disappearance is not merely a historical concern. It remains a present and continuing human rights challenge requiring urgent State action,” KNCHR said.
The commission expressed concern that the whereabouts and fate of some people reported missing remain unknown. It urged the government to establish where all missing persons are and publicly account for steps being taken to locate them.
KNCHR called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to conduct prompt, independent and impartial investigations into reported abductions and disappearances, preserve evidence and keep families informed.
It also urged the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to publish accurate information on people who have been arrested, detained, abducted or reported missing.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), meanwhile, was asked to prosecute suspects where sufficient evidence exists, regardless of their “rank, position or institutional affiliation”.
The commission further called on the government to ratify and domesticate the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and strengthen Kenya’s legal framework against the practice.
KNCHR said reparations for victims must go alongside accountability, arguing that compensation should not replace investigations or prosecution.
The statement comes amid renewed pressure on the government from families of people who have disappeared and human rights organisations.
Families of victims marked the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Sunday by demanding truth, accountability and swift government action.
KNCHR also urged the government to comply with a court order requiring 35 victims documented by the commission to receive compensation.
It called on anyone with information about a missing, abducted or disappeared person to report to the commission through its hotline, SMS, WhatsApp or email channels.