The country remains deeply divided as cases of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances continue to rise.
The latest incident involves the death of a 24-year-old activist, whose body was discovered in a mortuary seven weeks after his disappearance.
Ibrahim Hilal Mwiti, an activist last seen in Nairobi’s Central Business District in November 2024, was missing for weeks before his family’s search ended in tragedy.
The family revealed that Mwiti, active on social media and among youth, worked as a delivery man.
After his disappearance, they conducted an extensive search, only to find his body about 45 kilometers from where he was last seen.
”We were informed that his case was a hit-and-run incident. We know nothing else about his death,” said Mwiti’s mother, Sadhiya Iman, during a press briefing.
”We ask authorities to help us unravel the circumstances of my son’s death,” she added, recounting their relentless efforts to find him.
Mwiti’s body was found on Friday, December 3, at Thika Level Five Hospital mortuary.
The family disclosed that the police report from the facility claimed Mwiti died in a hit-and-run accident—an explanation they found implausible.
For weeks, they had searched tirelessly for him, only to discover his body, raising more questions about the circumstances of his death.
The family filed a missing person report at Kamukunji Police Station on November 15, 2024, under OB number 80A/13/11/24, hoping for police assistance to resolve the mystery.
Mwiti was laid to rest at Lang’ata Cemetery in Nairobi on Friday, following Islamic traditions.
His death has reignited calls for the government to address the increasing cases of forced disappearances and abductions.
The issue has also fueled political tension, with leaders blaming each other for the ongoing abductions.
President William Ruto emphasized that the National Police Service (NPS) bears responsibility for such investigations.
”The National Police Service, being an independent body, is able to conduct investigations. The law should not apply selectively to keep everybody on the right side of the law,” Ruto said during the funeral service of Mama Anne Nanyama, the mother of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, in Bungoma County on Friday.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 61 alleged police killings and 73 cases of abductions or missing persons have been recorded since June 2024.
In December alone, seven abductions were reported, with six individuals still missing, bringing the total number of cases under investigation to 29.
