Simon Muteti Released After Abduction Three Months Ago

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has announced the release of Simon Muteti who has been missing for more than three months following an alleged abduction.

Odhiambo in a statement on February 11, 2025, announced that Muteti has been freed and that he is with his family. However, the LSK President said that Simon remains petrified by his ordeal.

“Simon Muteti has been released after being held incommunicado for more than 3 months. He is safely with his family but remains petrified by his ordeal. We will extend the necessary legal and psychosocial support to him and the family,” said Odhiambo.

Simon Muteti abducted

Earlier, LSK had revealed that Simon was allegedly abducted by members of the Special Operations Unit in Timau, Laikipia County on October 22, 2024.

The society made the announcement when revealing that Odhiambo received and provided legal aid to Muteti’s distressed family which was seeking justice for their relative.

“This troubling case underscores an alarming trend of enforced disappearances not only in urban centers like Nairobi but across the country,” said LSK in a statement.

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In response to Muteti’s case alongside another one involving a father from Garsen, LSK said that it was intensifying its efforts to provide legal aid, gather information, support affected families, and raise awareness through partnerships with other organizations.

Simon’s alleged abduction was one of the cases recorded by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) between June and December 2024.

The state-funded rights group issued a statement on December 26, 2024, following a wave of disappearances that had gripped the country.

Wave of abduction cases

The abductions generally targeted government critics and were widely believed to be the work of security agents, although the authorities distanced themselves from the cases.

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They began in June last year during nationwide anti-tax protests, but increased in December, when AI-generated photos of leaders including President William Ruto in a coffin were widely shared.

KNHCR said that a total of 82 total cases had been recorded during the period of six months.

“There have been thirteen (13) more cases of abductions or enforced disappearances in the last three (3) months bringing to eight-two (82) the total cases since June 2024. Seven (7) of the recent abduction cases were reported in the month of December 2024 with six (6) of them still missing, bringing to twenty-nine (29) the total number of persons still missing since June 2024,” said KNCHR.

Among the youths who had been reported to have been abducted at the time included social media users Bernard Kavuli, Peter Muteti, Billy Wanyiri Mwangi, cartoonist Kibet Bull and his brother Rony Kiplagat, all who went missing just before the Christmas holidays.

The youths were later released in January.

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