Itumbi: Abduction and extrajudicial killings have drastically gone down under Ruto’s govt
By Mabonga Makhanu, October 9, 2025Presidential Advisor on Youth Affairs Dennis Itumbi has acknowledged that abductions and forced disappearances still occur under President William Ruto’s regime.
Speaking during an interview on Iko Nini aired on Thursday, October 9, 2025, despite top government officials defending the administration and claiming there are no such cases, the issue still persists.
Itumbi has admitted that while the current government, of which he is part, had promised to end abductions and forced disappearances, the problem has not been completely eradicated.
Itumbi explained that although the cases have significantly reduced compared to previous years, they have not been eliminated entirely.
He expressed hope that the numbers would eventually drop to zero, emphasising that President Ruto remains determined to ensure such incidents do not happen.
“I would suspect that they have actually gone down drastically. I would hope that it would be zero. Unfortunately, as you’re speaking, it’s not a zero; it’s a certain number, which is unfortunate. But when you look at absolute numbers – and I know people will have their own say on this, and I don’t want to be a plus on this, but I will have to say it – there has been a major reduction of what you would call abductions, what you would call extrajudicial killings.” Itumbi stated.
He further stated that some of the cases occur beyond the president’s direct control, as many things happen at lower levels of government.
Plan to end it
Itumbi, who was himself a victim of abduction in the past, a brutal ordeal that left him with broken limbs and confined to a hospital bed for four months, expressed confidence that by the end of President Ruto’s tenure, abductions and extrajudicial killings will be a thing of the past.
“But I know it’s a working motion, and I am confident that at the end of the tenure of President William Ruto, these things will be a thing of the past, because I can see in private, he works hard for those things,” he added.
He also issued an apology on behalf of the government to those who have recently been abducted.