Maraga slams Ruto after his recent remarks on missing abductees
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has expressed deep disappointment over recent remarks made by President William Ruto during the Finnish president’s visit to State House.
In a strongly worded statement posted on his social media handles on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Maraga termed the president’s remarks as “unconscionable”, especially coming at a time when several families are still desperately searching for their missing loved ones.
He criticised the president for making such sweeping statements without offering any apology or recognition to the victims and families still suffering the pain of enforced disappearances.
The former CJ cited the case of Brian Odhiambo, a young man from Nakuru, who was abducted in January 2025 by officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and his mother continues to search for him, four months later, with no answers and no justice.
“It is not just Brian Odhiambo’s mother. There are countless similar cries for justice,” Maraga said, referencing a petition launched on Mother’s Day by parents whose children were killed or disappeared during the anti-government protests of June 2024.
Maraga went further to reference the “Brutal Policing: 2024 Annual Report” launched on May 7, which he presided over.
The report, compiled by Missing Voices, a coalition of over 10 Kenyan human rights organisations, documented a staggering 159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in 2024 alone. Of these, 104 were police killings (about 65%) and 55 were cases of enforced disappearances (35%).
According to the report, Maraga emphasises that all these events are not historical but have all happened during President Ruto’s tenure.
Maraga’s message to the international community
He also called on the international community and human rights bodies to take firm action.
“Kenya, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, must lead by example. We should urgently ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and adopt strong national legislation to prevent and criminalise enforced disappearances.
“Kenya, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, should ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and adopt national legislation to prevent and criminalise enforced disappearances,” Maraga said.
Ruto’s remarks
Ruto had claimed that all Kenyans who had been abducted have been found and accounted for and that no such cases would occur in the future.
He was speaking during a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at State House, Nairobi on Monday, May 12, 2025.
The president added further assured that his administration had implemented accountability mechanisms to address such incidents and prevent their recurrence, emphasising that Kenya, as a democracy, would not return to the “dark days” of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
