Richard Onyonka will not go to a state dinner on New Year's Eve. He is a senator from Kisii, Kenya. The dinner is at the Kisii State Lodge.
Onyonka says 2024 was a bad year for Kenya. Many painful things happened. He notes ongoing abductions, corruption, and rights violations. Young Kenyans have suffered a lot.
"Kenya is going backward," Onyonka states. The past is repeating in sad ways.
Onyonka does not feel right celebrating. Some Kenyans are happy and excited, but others are in deep pain. They want to be with their missing loved ones.
Onyonka has strong views on these issues, so he will skip dinner. He thinks following the Constitution is very important.
Human rights groups are worried. Many government critics have disappeared recently, most of them young men who spoke out against the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Police deny any role in this. But activists say they are not looking into it enough.
People protested the abductions on Monday. Demonstrations happened across the country. They want the missing critics released right away. They also want unlawful arrests to stop.
Abductions have gone up a lot in December. Over 10 were reported just this month. There have been more than 80 cases in 2024. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights shared these numbers. People nationwide are very upset about this problem.
Onyonka says 2024 was a bad year for Kenya. Many painful things happened. He notes ongoing abductions, corruption, and rights violations. Young Kenyans have suffered a lot.
"Kenya is going backward," Onyonka states. The past is repeating in sad ways.
Onyonka does not feel right celebrating. Some Kenyans are happy and excited, but others are in deep pain. They want to be with their missing loved ones.
Onyonka has strong views on these issues, so he will skip dinner. He thinks following the Constitution is very important.
Human rights groups are worried. Many government critics have disappeared recently, most of them young men who spoke out against the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Police deny any role in this. But activists say they are not looking into it enough.
People protested the abductions on Monday. Demonstrations happened across the country. They want the missing critics released right away. They also want unlawful arrests to stop.
Abductions have gone up a lot in December. Over 10 were reported just this month. There have been more than 80 cases in 2024. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights shared these numbers. People nationwide are very upset about this problem.
