Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has challenged claims that Kenya has witnessed an increase in abductions since 2024, arguing that the security situation has improved under President William Ruto despite mounting concerns over enforced disappearances.
Murkomen, who appeared before the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 4, maintained that figures available to the government contradicted allegations of a rise in abduction cases, insisting that incidents had declined since the current administration assumed office in 2022.
He defended Ruto's record on security, saying the government had made ending extrajudicial killings and kidnappings a central promise during the election campaign and had taken steps to address the problem.
To support his position, the Interior CS compared the current situation with the previous administration, recalling incidents involving bodies recovered from River Yala and reports of people disappearing in areas around River Tana and the Aberdares.
“Claims of increased abductions since 2024 are false. To the contrary, the statistics show that since we took office in 2022, there have never been bodies floating in River Yala as it was before or cases of crocodiles eating people in River Tana or wild animals eating people in Aberdares," he stated.
"This government policy was clear in its campaign period that we will end cases of extrajudicial killing or abductions."
Murkomen assured Parliament that security agencies were pursuing investigations into recent abduction reports and that anyone established to have participated in the crimes would be arrested.
He, however, questioned the credibility of some reported incidents, alleging that certain individuals had staged their own disappearances to attract public attention, secure political sympathy or advance undisclosed interests.
"There have also been cases of staged abductions, including incidents involving individuals faking illnesses," he noted.
The CS also warned against portraying arrests of politicians as abduction incidents, pointing to the arrest of Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji over alleged theft and incitement.
"There have also been arrests of leaders, including Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji, over allegations of theft and incitement, which should not be misrepresented as cases of abduction.”
Turning to concerns about goonism and politically motivated violence, Murkomen said the government had intensified security preparations ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He maintained that anyone suspected of organising or financing violence would face legal action, adding that police were putting measures in place to prevent disruptions during political activities.
According to the CS, security agencies had prioritised obtaining advance schedules of political gatherings from leaders across the political divide to give officers sufficient time to prepare and provide protection.
“We have strengthened our security operations as we approach the election season. We have prioritised receiving advance schedules of political events from both government and opposition leaders to enable the police to make adequate security arrangements," Murkomen highlighted.
His defence of the government's record comes against the backdrop of growing public anger over reported abductions and enforced disappearances, which have prompted protests, court action and criticism from human rights groups.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has documented 46 additional cases of enforced disappearances in its National Reparations Framework report, which was presented to President Ruto in June 2026.
The commission reported that most of the cases involved people who took part in protests and were allegedly held incommunicado before being subjected to torture.
It raised concern that the whereabouts of some individuals reported missing had yet to be established, warning that their fate remained unknown.
"The Commission is particularly concerned that questions remain unresolved regarding the whereabouts and fate of some persons reported missing," the report read in part.
"The State must establish, without further delay, the whereabouts of all missing persons, detained in undisclosed locations or otherwise unaccounted for, and must publicly account for the measures being undertaken to locate them."
The commission called on the State to urgently establish the whereabouts of those missing, including individuals allegedly held in undisclosed detention facilities, and provide a public account of the steps being taken to trace them.