Victims of police brutality pour cold water on Ruto's apology, accuse him of hypocrisy

Victims of police brutality have rejected President Ruto’s apology, demanding justice, accountability and independent investigations into state violence. [PCS]

President William Ruto’s acknowledgement of excesses committed by security agencies against young Kenyans during and after the protests has been met with scepticism by victims of police brutality, who accused him of hypocrisy and demanded accountability before his words can be believed.

This comes hours after Ruto admitted failures in his administration’s handling of the 2024 Gen Z protests and the 2025 anniversary demonstrations, saying no blood should have been shed during the protests.

“No Kenyan should lose their life, liberty or dignity merely for criticising the government, expressing an unpopular opinion or participating in peaceful demonstrations,” President Ruto said on Thursday while presiding over the Katiba Day celebrations at KICC.

Speaking on Friday at Amnesty International offices in Nairobi under the umbrella of the Coalition of Victims and Survivors Against State Violence, the victims and human-rights defenders said the President’s recognition of abuses must be matched by credible investigations, prosecution of perpetrators and justice for families of those killed, tortured or forcibly disappeared.

They questioned why the President was only now acknowledging the pain caused by state violence after years of what they described as denial, minimisation and political management of abuses committed during the Gen Z-led protests.

“Accountability cannot end with words,” said Bob Njagi, a human-rights activist and survivor of abduction, warning that Ruto could not rebuild public trust without holding officers who violated their constitutional obligations to account.

Njagi said families of those killed and victims of torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention deserved more than presidential expressions of regret.

“A missing Kenyan is not a statistic. A dead Kenyan is not a footnote. A tortured Kenyan is not collateral damage. These are human beings whose rights the State was constitutionally obligated to protect,” he said.

The victims’ anger comes against the backdrop of renewed national debate on constitutionalism and the government’s handling of protests, as Kenya marks 16 years since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.

Njagi cited documentation by human-rights organisations showing at least 536 cases of extrajudicial or police killings and 111 cases of enforced disappearances and abductions since the Ruto administration came to power.

Data by Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has also documented 661 complaints involving violations of the right to freedom and security of the person between December 2024 and December 2025, including torture, arbitrary detention, abductions and enforced disappearances.

The latest cases, he said, include Abdulaziz “Zizou” Ali, Macmillan Kiarie Mugo, Evans Otieno Omondi and Michael Oloo Osoro, who were allegedly abducted by armed men believed to be security officers on June 25, 2026, and remained missing.

Bernard Kavuli, a victim of abduction, accused Ruto of attempting to present himself as a champion of constitutionalism despite his past opposition to the 2010 Constitution and allegations of violations committed under his administration.

“The man who once opposed the constitutional order should not now masquerade as its chief defender while his administration is accused of violating some of its most fundamental guarantees,” Kavuli said.

He challenged the President to demonstrate his commitment to the Constitution through action rather than speeches.

“The Constitution is not a ceremonial document to be invoked once every sixteen years. It is the supreme law of Kenya. It binds every person and every State organ,” he said.

Kavuli also questioned whether Ruto had only recently discovered the constitutional rights to life, dignity, liberty, expression, assembly and peaceful demonstration.

“Have you only discovered today that Kenya has a constitution?” he posed.

The victims said the President’s current acknowledgement must also be weighed against his response to the 2024 Gen Z protests, when demonstrators were labelled “treasonous criminals” as security forces confronted young Kenyans demanding changes to the Finance Bill and greater government accountability.

They questioned what had changed between the government’s hardline response then and Ruto’s current calls for credible investigations into abuses.

“If you now accept that the deaths were unjustified and that credible investigations are necessary, why did your government spend years denying, minimising, evading and politically managing these violations?” Kavuli asked.

Nicholas Oyoo, who alongside Njagi were recently abducted in Uganda before they were released, demanded that any investigation into police brutality examine the President’s own conduct, public statements and decisions during the protests.

“Do you want your own orders investigated?” Oyoo asked, adding that independent inquiry should establish who authorised the deployment of security officers and issued instructions on the use of force and whether the chain of command led to senior government officials.

“Because an investigation designed to protect political office holders is not an investigation. It is theatre,” Oyoo said.

The victims also questioned whether state institutions implicated in alleged abuses could credibly investigate themselves.

They demanded independent, transparent investigations capable of following evidence wherever it leads, including to the highest levels of government.

“Kenya does not suffer from a shortage of reports. Kenya suffers from a shortage of accountability,” Oyoo said.

For Joshua Okayo, another victim of police excesses, the most urgent question remains the whereabouts of Kenyans who disappeared during the protests.

He challenged Ruto to meet families who continue to search for missing relatives without knowing whether they are alive or dead.

“A government cannot claim to recognise the pain of victims while leaving families in permanent uncertainty,” he said.

They demand prosecution of individuals found culpable, regardless of rank, office or political connection and publication of all relevant investigation and compensation reports for public scrutiny.