President William Ruto has condemned abductions reiterating that they pose a significant threat to the lives and liberty of citizens.

Speaking during his State of the Nation address, the head of state cautioned any form of illegal arrests or forced disappearances, urging Kenyans to report such cases to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) for investigation.

Ruto also highlighted that some reported cases of abductions have turned out to be false, which undermines efforts to address genuine cases of missing persons.

“ A good number of disappearances have also turned out to be arrests made by police offices. In such cases, the suspects have been duly arraigned in court. I must however make it very clear, there is no attempt to justify or exercise illegal arrests.” he said

He reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the rights and safety of all citizens.

“I am aware many of the cases that have been raises are being handled by IPOA,” Ruto said

President Ruto also confirmed that all protests are allowed as long as they align with the constitution guidelines, warning that the government will always be ready to handle those going against it.

“Protests are conducted by people who are peaceful and unarmed. Assemblies, demonstrations, and picketing to advance constitutionalism to increase accountability and defend rule of law are constitutional imperatives…Conversely, mobilisation in pursuit of criminal agenda chaos and anarchy are explicitly forbidden.” he said

The head of state has also shared how digital age has raised misunderstanding between the government and the citizens due to raising cases of misinformation, disinformation and incite sharings.

“At the same time, it has never been easier to misinform, mislead, disinform, incite, and alarm the public,” he said.