President William Ruto of Kenya has promised an end to abductions, amid the latest spate of disappearances which have been condemned by rights groups, lawyers and politicians.
Security agencies in the country have been accused of carrying out dozens of illegal detentions since youth-led anti-government demonstrations in June and July.
The latest disappearances involved young men who have allegedly criticised Ruto online.
Media Talk Africa recalls that Kenya’s police on Thursday said they were not involved in the latest spate of abductions targeting government critics.
Speaking to a crowd in Homa Bay, a town in western Kenya, Ruto promised an end to the abductions, telling parents to take responsibility for their children.
“We are going to stop the abductions so that our youth can live peacefully,” he said.
Ruto had addressed the issue in his yearly State of the Nation speech in November, condemning any excessive or extrajudicial action, stressing that many of the detentions were legitimate arrests against criminals and subversive elements.
Tension has continued to surge in the country, with the latest abductions triggering small-scale protests in at least one town.
