Former Chief Justice, David Maraga, now says that President William Ruto should have apologised to the families of victims of abduction.
Maraga insisted that it was not right for the President to say that all abducted Kenyans have been returned home without any apology to the families of victims.
He went on to say that such words cause more pain to parents who are still mourning the loss of their children.
“It is unconscionable to hear the President claim, without any apology to the victims, parents, and families, that there are no ongoing incidents of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings and that accountability mechanisms are in effect.
“Such utterances are deeply hurtful, especially to parents still mourning the loss of their children. How long shall the lives of innocent Kenyans be so devalued and dismissed?” Maraga posed.
The former CJ, who has become a critic of the state, cited the case of one Brian Odhiambo, who has been missing for the last four months.
He added that there are many other similar cries for justice as seen in the petition launched on Mother’s Day by the parents of youth killed during the protests in June 2024.
The President made the remarks during a joint press briefing with visiting Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb, were he reassured the nation that cases of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances will not happen under his watch.
He stated that all those who went missing have been reunited with their families.
“All the people who disappeared or were abducted have been brought back to their families and their homes,” he said.
“I have given clarity and firm instructions that nothing of that kind will happen again.”
The Head of State was responding to a question from a journalist who had asked about the plans put by the government to ensure such cases do not happen again.
The journalist had cited reports from right-wing groups.
The latest report by ‘Missing Voices’ stated that there were 55 enforced disappearances in 2024.
It further states that June 2024, during the peak of the Gen Z and Millennials’ protests against the Finance Bill 2024, witnessed the highest number of enforced disappearances at 15 cases.
October followed with 11 incidents, while July and August each recorded seven cases.
The report, however, revealed that holding police officers accountable for enforced disappearances remains nearly impossible.
This is because most of the cases were carried out by hooded men in plain clothes, using unmarked vehicles without local number plates, further complicating efforts to trace the perpetrators.
