Ruto says all abducted Kenyans have been returned to their homes
President William Ruto has claimed that all Kenyans that were abducted in the recent past have been all found and taken back to their homes and families.
Speaking on Monday, May 12, 2025, in a question-and-answer session during the Kenya-Finland joint media briefing at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said that his administration has an accountability mechanism to ensure that the issue is attended to.
The head of state further noted 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 found in all manner of places, and that that will not happen under my administration. 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,” Ruto said.
Brian Odhiambo missing
Ruto’s claims come as a family in Nakuru continues to cry for justice over the mysterious disappearance of Brian Odhiambo, the fisherman who was allegedly abducted by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers from the Lake Nakuru National Park on January 18.
Odhiambo’s whereabouts have remained unknown since then, sparking widespread protests in Nakuru.
In March 2025, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen promised to personally follow up on the case. However, Odhiambo or his body has not been found to date.
Murkomen made the commitment in Nakuru after meeting with Elizabeth Auma, Odhiambo’s mother.
KNHRC data
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHRC) has documented at least 82 abductions between June and December 2024, with some victims found dead and others still unaccounted for.
Civil society groups have pointed out a strategic pattern in these disappearances, predominantly targeting individuals who have been vocal critics of President Ruto.
On March 26, 2025, President Ruto fired Justin Muturi as Public Service Cabinet Secretary after he fell out with him over his stance on abductions.
Muturi had consistently called out the government after his son fell victim to the wave of abductions that had swept the country.
