Six people who were arrested during a memorial gathering in Nairobi have been found abandoned by roadsides across the Kenyan capital, alleging they were beaten and subjected to torture while in police custody. The arrests occurred on Thursday, the second anniversary of the 2024 Gen Z protests, during which at least 60 people were killed by security forces. A seventh person, Davis Lichuma, remains missing, with rights groups warning of a possible enforced disappearance.
Amnesty International Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) identified the six survivors as Collins Ochieng, Muteti Mulinge, Michael Ngigi, Elisha Alam, Fredrick Ojiro, and Christine Walubengo. All were arrested outside Parliament and were unreachable for nearly two days before being found injured and rushed to hospital for medical treatment. "These allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment demand an immediate, independent and impartial investigation," Amnesty Kenya said, calling on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to act.
The arrests of these six were part of a broader crackdown: Kenya's Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed that approximately 355 people were detained across the country on Thursday as demonstrators marked the anniversary. The protests commemorated victims of the June–July 2024 uprising, which was initially triggered by public anger over rising living costs and corruption proposals and culminated in protesters storming Kenya's Parliament in Nairobi. A police watchdog has recorded at least 127 deaths across the 2024 and 2025 protest periods, with security forces accused of acting with near-total impunity.
The incident is compounding legal pressure on Kenya's police. Rights group Katiba Institute has filed a contempt case against Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja, accusing authorities of defying a court order by setting up unannounced roadblocks across central Nairobi ahead of Thursday's memorial march. The government has defended the roadblocks, citing intelligence suggesting criminal groups planned to infiltrate demonstrations and attack civilians. Rights activists counter that the blockade violated freedom of movement, obstructed emergency services, and unlawfully suppressed peaceful acts of remembrance.
Kenya has a documented history of police violence and enforced disappearances, and observers say this week's events underscore the ongoing impunity surrounding state responses to public protest. The contempt case is now seen as a significant test of whether Kenyan courts can enforce accountability over police conduct during demonstrations.