Karua urges Ruto to act on officers linked to disappearances after abduction acknowledgement
People’s Liberation Party Martha Karua has called on President William Ruto to go beyond acknowledging the issue of abductions in Kenya and take action against security officers implicated in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
Her remarks follow Ruto’s recent admission of the widespread problem of abductions within the country, a statement that has sparked discussions on the accountability of security forces.
Taking to her official X account on Monday night, May 12, 2025, Karua emphasised that while the president’s acknowledgement of abductions is an important first step, it must be followed by concrete measures to address the broader issue of state-sanctioned violence.
She urged Ruto to hold accountable those security officers who have not only been involved in abductions but also in extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances that have plagued the country for years.
“Now that @WilliamsRuto has acknowledged abductions, he needs to go further and acknowledge extrajudicial killings and disappearances and the role of security forces in this and take steps to have the culprits, including those captured in the #BBCDocumentary, held accountable. #JusticeForVictims, “she said.
Ruto on abduction
Speaking on Monday, May 12, 2025, in a question-and-answer session during the Kenya-Finland joint media briefing at State House, Nairobi, Ruto claimed that all Kenyans who were abducted in the recent past have been found and taken back to their homes and families.
The head of state further pointed out that his administration has an accountability mechanism to ensure that the issue is attended to, adding that he had undertaken to the country that Kenyans will not lose their lives through extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances.
Ruto also maintained that he has given clear and firm instructions that incidents of abductions don’t happen again.
”There is an accountability mechanism to make sure that that situation is attended to, and a proper accountability mechanism is put in place. I undertook to the country that, being a democracy and robustly so, Kenyans must not, as it has happened in the past, where Kenyans disappeared and their bodies were found in all manner of places, and that that will not happen under my administration,” Ruto said.
“All the people who disappeared or who were abducted have been brought back to their families and their homes, and I have given clear and firm instructions that that kind of nature will not happen again.”
The issue of extrajudicial killings and forceful disappearances has been a long-standing concern in Kenya, with various human rights organisations and activists documenting cases over the years.
