:NAIROBI, Kenya – At least 26 people remain missing in Kenya following what rights groups allege are enforced disappearances by state security forces during a sweeping crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests that have left at least 19 dead and more than 500 injured.
The demonstrations, led largely by Generation Z activists, erupted earlier this month over the controversial Finance Bill, which many critics say unfairly burdens ordinary citizens with higher taxes.
But the protests have since expanded into a broader condemnation of police brutality, economic inequality, and political impunity.
Rights organizations report that at least 14 women have been sexually assaulted during the chaos, underscoring what they describe as a disturbing pattern of abuse committed by some members of the security services under the cover of night raids and crowd control.
“What we are seeing is not just a political crisis, but a human rights emergency,” said Martha Kendi, director of the Nairobi-based Legal Empowerment Centre.
“Young people are being hunted, abducted, tortured — and the state remains largely silent.”
Government officials have defended their response as necessary to preserve public order, pointing to incidents of looting, property destruction, and alleged incitement by protest leaders.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently declared that police would use “all available force” to suppress what he termed as “anarchist violence.”
But for many Kenyans, the response feels less like law enforcement and more like collective punishment.
On Sunday night, a memorial vigil at Uhuru Park in Nairobi was disrupted by police firing tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Witnesses say plainclothes officers were seen bundling young men and women into unmarked vans — a tactic associated with Kenya’s feared anti-crime units.
“These disappearances are eerily reminiscent of the dark chapters of our past,” said former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga in a statement.
“If the state does not change course, it risks delegitimizing itself entirely in the eyes of the people.”
As the unrest stretches into its third week, pressure is mounting on President William Ruto’s administration to launch an independent investigation into the alleged abuses and commit to urgent reforms.
Civil society coalitions, clergy leaders, and some opposition lawmakers have called for the immediate resignation of top security officials.
International concern is also rising. The United Nations and African Union have both expressed alarm at the reports of excessive force and called for restraint on all sides.
Despite the risks, protestors say they have no intention of backing down.
“This is not just about a tax bill anymore,” said 23-year-old university student Wycliffe Otieno, his arm bandaged from what he says was a rubber bullet wound. “This is about our future — and we won’t be silenced.”
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