Families appeal for help to find Muthurwa traders abducted in June 2022

Two families in Nairobi have appealed to Kenyan security agencies to help them find their kin, who were arrested by unknown men suspected to be police officers.

A media report compiled Citizen TV pointed out that Benson Kimani and Jackson Kariuki, both traders at the busy Muthurwa market, were picked up by men in a Subaru on June 29, 2022, and have not been seen since then.

The two were picked up outside Kimani’s hardware after shopping for items in Eastleigh.

“They had just returned from purchasing items for sale at Kimani’s hardware,” said Nancy Muthini, Kariuki’s wife.

“Neighbors did not bother with their arrest because it happened like an emergency and left people stranded, she added.

Both families have traversed the capital in search for their kin, visiting police stations to no avail.

“We went to Kamukunji Police Station to inquire if they had been taken there. I was told there were no such persons there. After that, I went to Pangani Police Station and asked them too. They checked the OB and told me no such persons were booked there.

His brother went to Central Police Station but was told the same thing,” said Roseline Wambui, Kimani’s wife.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, but still, Kimani and Kariuki have not been found, and neither have their families heard from them.

The two families however remain hopeful of finding their kins, and have pleaded with security agencies to help locate them and return them home.

“Where did those who arrested them take them?” asked Wambui.

“Why did they arrest them? Because, if someone is arrested, they should be taken to court so that they can be prosecuted. They were never taken to court and we do not know where they are,” she added.

Central Police Station confirmed that the matter is still under investigation.

Missing Voices has taken note of the disappearances of Kimani and Kariuki.

Such incidents not only leave victims at a heightened risk of facing other grave human rights violations, but they also have an anguishing impact on their loved ones and friends.

We urge the National Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to hasten the search for Kimani and Kariuki, find them and reunite them with their loved ones.

We also call for the arrest and prosecution of all persons behind the disappearances in accordance with Kenyan laws.