Amnesty International Kenya has challenged the Government to move beyond public assurances and take concrete action to end enforced disappearances, establish the whereabouts of missing persons, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide reparations to victims and their families.
The call was made on Monday as the world marked the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, with the rights organisation warning that continued cases of enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force threaten Kenya’s constitutional order and civic freedoms.
Amnesty International Kenya welcomed recent remarks by President William Ruto, in which he acknowledged the pain caused by past human rights violations and stated that no Kenyan should lose their life, liberty or dignity for criticising the Government, expressing an unpopular opinion or participating in a peaceful demonstration.
However, the organisation said the President’s words must now be followed by concrete action.
“Words must now be matched with action,” Amnesty International Kenya said, stressing that human rights are constitutional guarantees and not privileges granted by those in power.
The organisation cited Article 29 of the Constitution, which protects every person from arbitrary deprivation of freedom, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
It also pointed to Article 49, which guarantees the rights of arrested persons, and Article 238, which requires national security to be exercised in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
According to data from the Missing Voices Coalition, six cases of enforced disappearance were documented in Kenya in 2025, alongside 125 cases of police killings.
Although the number of documented enforced disappearances declined from the previous year, Amnesty said the continued reports remain deeply concerning. The organisation said 19 cases of enforced disappearance and 69 police killings have already been recorded in 2026.
Amnesty also raised concerns over the fate of victims identified through Kenya’s reparations process.
On June 15, 2026, at State House in Nairobi, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights presented its national reparations framework and report, which included 35 verified cases of enforced disappearance, alongside other human rights violations linked to recent security operations and protests.
Amnesty International Kenya said victims of enforced disappearance have yet to receive the reparations to which they are entitled, despite the establishment of a state process to compensate victims of violations arising from protests.
The organisation stressed that the figures represent more than statistics, noting that every case involves an individual whose liberty was taken away and families left searching for answers about the fate of their loved ones.
Amnesty said President Ruto’s declaration that Kenyans should not lose their liberty or dignity for expressing their views or participating in peaceful protests is consistent with constitutional protections for freedom of expression, assembly and association.
However, it argued that the real test of the Government’s commitment to constitutionalism will be how it responds when citizens exercise those rights to criticise the Government, challenge those in power or demand accountability.
The rights organisation said Kenya’s experience since 2024 has demonstrated the dangers of allowing security agencies to operate without effective accountability, arguing that enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force can have a chilling effect on civic participation.
Amnesty called on the Government to ensure that every allegation of enforced disappearance is investigated promptly, independently, impartially, thoroughly and transparently, including cases reported during the 2024 protests and thereafter.
It further demanded that authorities disclose the fate and whereabouts of every person subjected to enforced disappearance and immediately release anyone unlawfully detained or bring them promptly before an independent and impartial court.
The organisation also called for victims and their families to have access to truth, justice and effective remedies, including full and effective reparations for the harm they have suffered.
Amnesty said anyone suspected of responsibility for enforced disappearances should be investigated and, where there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecuted in fair trials regardless of their rank, position or political affiliation.
It also urged the Government to strengthen command and individual accountability within security agencies so that responsibility does not end with junior officers while those who allegedly authorised, ordered, facilitated or concealed violations escape scrutiny.
The organisation called for greater independence and resources for oversight bodies, including the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and the Internal Affairs Unit, to enable them to effectively investigate allegations of police abuse.
Amnesty further urged Kenya to ratify and domesticate the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and recognise the competence of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive and consider individual complaints.
The organisation also called for victims of enforced disappearance to be fully included in reparations programmes and for families not to be subjected to repeated trauma while seeking justice.
Human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, witnesses, survivors and families of victims should, Amnesty said, be protected from intimidation, harassment and reprisals when pursuing truth and accountability.
The organisation stressed that investigations into human rights violations must not be selective and that accountability should apply to violations committed by both state and non-state actors, while respecting due process, independence and the rule of law.
With Kenya heading towards the 2027 General Election, Amnesty said the Government must learn from past experiences and ensure that political dissent, peaceful protest and criticism of the Government are not met with arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture or excessive use of force.
The organisation said the Constitution, promulgated 16 years ago, promised a society founded on human dignity, human rights, social justice and the rule of law.
It said that promise must apply to every Kenyan, including those who criticise those in power, participate in peaceful protests, and families whose loved ones have disappeared.
Amnesty International Kenya concluded with a stark reminder: no one should disappear for exercising their rights, no family should be left without answers, and no perpetrator should be allowed to escape accountability.
