NAIROBI — Tabitha Wanjiru Kairo and her husband David Kairo have been frantically searching for their 28-year-old son, Joseph Mwangi, who disappeared during recent protests against a controversial finance bill in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
Mwangi, a street vendor with dreams of becoming a police officer or soldier, was last heard from when he expressed his intention to join the anti-government demonstrations over the rising cost of living in Kenya.
Kairo has visited police stations, hospitals, and morgues in a desperate bid to find her son, but her efforts have been met with indifference and inaction. “They (the government) should look for our children because I have searched all over but I cannot trace his whereabouts,” Kairo told reporters. “I reported him missing at the Kasarani Police Station but the police there don’t seem to care or know anything.”
Despite her grief, Kairo supports her son’s decision to protest, saying that if she were younger, she too would have taken to the streets against the government’s policies. “Give us our children. My child did nothing wrong to anyone. Protesting in the streets is not a crime… Why are they making us suffer?” she pleaded.
The protests erupted in response to a finance bill that proposed tax increases. Demonstrators stormed Parliament and clashed with police, leading to significant unrest. According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the protests resulted in 41 deaths, 35 abductions, and 746 arrests.
President William Ruto has since apologized for the “arrogance and show of opulence” exhibited by legislators and ministers during the debate. In a statement on Friday, Ruto acknowledged the “mistakes” made by officials and promised to address the conduct of “rogue” police officers who used force against unarmed civilians.
Kairo’s plea for justice comes amid widespread concerns over human rights abuses during the protests. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has been documenting the violence and seeking accountability for the excessive use of force by the police.
Kairo’s story underscores the broader humanitarian crisis triggered by the protests. As the search for Mwangi continues, Kairo calls for the immediate release of those abducted and a halt to the suffering inflicted on Kenyan citizens.
“The government should act and give us our children back,” she said. “We are suffering. We need justice.”
