“Where are Kibet Bull and Steve Mbisi? » The question was repeated over and over all day Monday, January 6 on Kenyan social networks to find out where the two young men were, kidnapped in December by hooded men along with four other boys. According to several human rights organizations, the police were behind the kidnapping.
A partial response was provided around 7 p.m. Monday evening, when a tweet “I’m safe” appeared on the X account of Gideon Kibet, alias « Kibet Bull ». The 23-year-old young man, a popular cartoonist on social networks, is known for his drawings mocking Kenyan President William Ruto. The news of his release was confirmed shortly after by several civil society actors. Earlier in the morning, the first four of the “six missing from December” had also been released after almost two weeks without news. Nothing, however, on the fate of the last one, Steve Mbisi.
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Their kidnappings in the middle of the street by masked men suspected of being part of the police are the latest in a long series. Since the demonstrations last June and July against a finance bill, Kenya has been facing worrying kidnappings in public spaces by unidentified individuals. The victims have in common that they have been critical of those in power, particularly on social networks. According to the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC), 82 people have been kidnapped since June 2024, of whom 29 have not yet reappeared.
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