The Defenders Coalition has called for an immediate, independent investigation into allegations that authorities secretly detained and tortured two human rights defenders following their arrest during Nairobi demonstrations. The coalition linked the enforced disappearances to ongoing protests over the continued detention of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
Boniface Mulinge Muteti and Collins Otieno were among several activists arrested in Nairobi’s Central Business District on September 21, 2026, while demanding Besigye’s release.
Following the Nairobi arrests, police failed to book Muteti and Otieno at any official station, leaving their whereabouts unknown for days.
“Instead, they were held incommunicado in unknown locations, where they were severely tortured and held under inhuman and degrading conditions,” the coalition stated.
Harrowing Ordeals in Captivity
Authorities and search teams recovered both activists separately after multi-day disappearances. Rescuers found Muteti alive in the Lukenya area of Machakos County around 3:00 a.m. on September 25, 2026, before rushing him to a medical facility.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Muteti said that his captors blindfolded him, denied him food, burned his legs, forcibly shaved his head, and inflicted severe physical abuse. He noted that interrogators repeatedly questioned him about his activism, asking why he was “causing trouble” and demanding details regarding his funding sources.
“From his hospital bed, he alleged that he had been blindfolded, deprived of food, burned on his legs, forcibly shaved, and brutally mistreated. He further reported that his captors questioned him about his activism, including why he was “causing trouble”. He was also questioned about the financing of his activism,” the coalition said.
A good Samaritan found Collins Otieno abandoned along Thika Road at approximately 4:30 a.m. on September 26, 2026. The coalition reported that Otieno was weak, disoriented, and visibly injured while receiving emergency medical care.
Human rights groups noted that these incidents mirror the secret detention and torture patterns reported by six other activists following demonstrations on June 25.
Calls for Multi-Agency Accountability
The Defenders Coalition has formally requested intervention from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), the National Police Service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Specifically, the coalition urges IPOA to conduct an independent probe to identify who arrested, detained, and tortured the two men during their disappearance. It also called on the Inspector General and the National Police Service to publicly detail the arrest, custody, and movement records of both individuals.
Furthermore, the rights group urged the DCI and ODPP to establish a specialized prosecutorial process to charge both line officers and high-ranking commanders who ordered, facilitated, or concealed the violations.
The coalition urged the Kenyan government to enforce the Prevention of Torture Act fully, increase independent monitoring of detention facilities, and establish clear policies guaranteeing legal, medical, and psychosocial protection for human rights advocates.
“The recovery of both defenders alive does not extinguish the state’s obligations. Their appearance after days of unacknowledged captivity raises urgent questions: Who arrested or seized them? Where were they held? Under whose authority were they interrogated? Who inflicted their injuries? Why were they not booked into recognized police stations or brought before a court? Who ordered, facilitated, or concealed their treatment? ,” the coalition stated.
Finally, the organization appealed to international bodies, including the UN Special Procedures and the African Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, to pressure Kenyan authorities for answers and monitor the safety of targeted activists.
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