Residents of Embu town took to the streets on Friday to demand the release of 24-year-old Billy Mwangi, who was forcibly taken from a barber shop on December 21.
The protest erupted as community members expressed their outrage over the six-day disappearance of Mwangi, lighting fires and blocking roads to draw attention to his plight.
According to Mwangi’s family, he was abducted by four armed men wearing masks, who arrived in a double cabin pickup and sped off towards the Embu-Nairobi Highway. Since his abduction, the family has conducted extensive searches throughout the county but has yet to find any leads on his whereabouts. They suspect that a controversial post Mwangi made on X, featuring an AI-generated image that portrayed President William Ruto unfavorably, may have made him a target.
Mwangi is among seven youths who have been abducted this month after expressing their views on social media regarding President Ruto and his administration. Other recent victims include social media users Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, Rony Kiplang’at, and Gideon Kibet, also known as Kibet Bull. This alarming trend has raised the total number of abductions reported since June to 82.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has confirmed that, out of the reported cases, 29 individuals are still missing. Meanwhile, both the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Police Service (NPS) have denied any involvement in the abductions.
As the community rallies for justice, the call for accountability and action continues to grow, highlighting the urgent need for safety and security in the region.
