US Voices Alarm Over Kenya Kidnappings Amid Rights Crisis.
The United States has spoken out about people going missing in Kenya. Marc Dillard, who leads the US office in Nairobi, wants these acts to stop.
He shared his thoughts as he remembered Jimmy Carter, the former US leader who worked hard to protect human rights. "The kidnappings must end," Dillard said. He asked Kenya to follow its laws.
Kenya's human rights group says at least 82 people were taken since street protests began in June. Of these, 29 have not come back home. Last month, six more people went missing.
The latest cases worry many. Peter Muteti was taken by four men near a shop in Uthiru. One wore police clothes. They put him in a car and drove away. Another man, Billy Mwangi, was grabbed from a hair shop by men in masks.
These missing people had posted mean things about Kenya's leader on social media. Rights groups point fingers at the police. But police chief Douglas Kanja says his force does not steal people.
"We catch lawbreakers. We do not kidnap them," Kanja said. He added that no police station holds these missing folks. He wants anyone with news about them to tell the police.
Kenya's lawyers think the police chief needs to do more. They say he should catch the real kidnappers or leave his job. They want action, not just words.
The rights group Amnesty International backs these claims against the police. More voices keep asking for answers about the missing people. The court asked to see them Tuesday, but no one brought them.
This wave of kidnappings has scared many Kenyans. People want their government to find the missing ones and make sure such things never happen again.
The United States has spoken out about people going missing in Kenya. Marc Dillard, who leads the US office in Nairobi, wants these acts to stop.
He shared his thoughts as he remembered Jimmy Carter, the former US leader who worked hard to protect human rights. "The kidnappings must end," Dillard said. He asked Kenya to follow its laws.
Kenya's human rights group says at least 82 people were taken since street protests began in June. Of these, 29 have not come back home. Last month, six more people went missing.
The latest cases worry many. Peter Muteti was taken by four men near a shop in Uthiru. One wore police clothes. They put him in a car and drove away. Another man, Billy Mwangi, was grabbed from a hair shop by men in masks.
These missing people had posted mean things about Kenya's leader on social media. Rights groups point fingers at the police. But police chief Douglas Kanja says his force does not steal people.
"We catch lawbreakers. We do not kidnap them," Kanja said. He added that no police station holds these missing folks. He wants anyone with news about them to tell the police.
Kenya's lawyers think the police chief needs to do more. They say he should catch the real kidnappers or leave his job. They want action, not just words.
The rights group Amnesty International backs these claims against the police. More voices keep asking for answers about the missing people. The court asked to see them Tuesday, but no one brought them.
This wave of kidnappings has scared many Kenyans. People want their government to find the missing ones and make sure such things never happen again.
