Activist Davis Lichuma found injured after days of disappearance

Missing activist Davis Lichuma has been found alive but injured and is currently receiving treatment at Nairobi Women’s Hospital, according to the Social Justice Centres Working Group (SJCWG)

Lichuma had gone missing after he was reportedly arrested during the June 25, 2026, protests marking the second anniversary of the June 2024 demonstrations.

Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid also confirmed Lichuma’s reappearance, saying he had earlier been found at Kenyatta National Hospital before being transferred to a private medical facility.

“Following our press conference this morning to demand that the police immediately release comrade Lichuma or face widespread demos, we have this evening confirmed that comrade Lichuma has been found but in bad shape at Kenyatta National Hospital,” Khalid said on Sunday.

The Social Justice Centres Working Group (SJCWG) condemned Lichuma’s arrest, describing it as “a chilling indictment of a system that allows enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial abuse to flourish with impunity.”

“After days of denials and unanswered questions about his whereabouts, Davis has emerged bearing the physical evidence of the violence inflicted upon him. Those responsible for his abduction, torture, and illegal detention must be identified and held accountable. The Kenyan public deserves answers: Who took Davis? Where was he held? Who ordered his torture? Why was he abandoned and left for dead?” the group said.

The rights group added that it would not accept silence, cover-ups, or excuses.

“An injury to one is an injury to all. The struggle for justice continues until every perpetrator is brought to account and until enforced disappearances and torture become a thing of the past,” it added.

Earlier on Sunday, the National Police Service confirmed that investigations into Lichuma’s disappearance were ongoing, saying the matter had officially been recorded as a missing person case.

NPS said it had noted allegations circulating on mainstream and social media regarding enforced disappearances and torture, adding that the claims were being taken seriously.

The police urged anyone with information or specific allegations of enforced disappearance, torture, or other human rights violations to report the matter at the nearest police station for investigations.

The statement came a day after the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) announced that five activists who had reportedly gone missing following the June 25, 2026, protests had been found alive, while one person remained unaccounted for.

According to KHRC, three more individuals had been located after two others were earlier found.

“Three more comrades have been found dumped. Together with the three who were found earlier, they report being brutally assaulted while in custody. Meanwhile, Davis Lichuma remains forcibly disappeared. His whereabouts are still unknown,” KHRC posted.