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President William Ruto has defended the recent crackdown on GenZ protests, saying the initially peaceful protests were infiltrated and hijacked by criminals and subversive elements.

He said though numerous claims had been made concerning disappearances of people during the protests, a number of the cases had been resolved, while others found to be fake claims.

Though the President did not make direct reference to the GenZ protests, it was apparent he was alluding the deadly demos that forced him to reconstitute the government.

“A good number of alleged disappearances have also turned out to be arrests made by police officers, and in such cases, the suspects have been duly arraigned in court,” he said.

The President defended the security agencies but maintained that there has been no attempt to justify or excuse illegal arrests.

“There is no attempt to justify or excuse illegal arrests: such would be serious threats to the life and liberty of citizens. Democracy is a hard-won, non-negotiable right, and guarantees freedom that we must always defend,” the President said.

While encouraging Kenyans to boldly speak truth to power and holding leadership to account, President Ruto also warned that though protests are always legitimate and permitted by the Constitution, mobilisation in pursuit of criminal agendas, chaos and anarchic schemes is explicitly forbidden.

“We all have a duty to defend our republic and the rights of all people. The government must remain vigilant at all times against modern threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our nation as well as public order, peace and security,” he added.

Speaking during the State of the Nation address, the Head of State said the agencies must guarantee public safety and security during protests and at the same time must protect democratic expression.

“Security officers should not wound, maim or even kill innocent people and claim that they were engaging violent criminals,” he warned.

Subversive elements
He noted that the digital era had made it easier to misinform, mislead, disinform, incite and alarm the public, adding that criminals and subversive elements who infiltrate and hijack peaceful protests are a threat both to legitimate protesters and to the public.

“Incidences of violent criminality in the name of protest threaten the safety of innocent people, public assets, private property and the social order,” he said.

He added: “The task at hand is complicated if citizens and State agencies dilute the distinction between the lawful and the criminal, the just and unjust, thereby making it difficult to tell protesters and security officers from bandits, gangsters and criminals.”

Regarding the abductions and other excesses, the President urged Kenyans with information about such cases to forward the information to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), where they suspect members of the police service are involved.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) on Wednesday said a total of 74 incidences of abductions and enforced disappearances occurred in the country. According to the KNHCR, a majority of the abductions and disappearances are related to the anti-Finance Bill 2024 with 26 persons still missing to date.

The State of Human Rights Report, covering the period between July 2023 to November 2024 indicated that despite an abundance of evidence captured on the abductions including vehicle number plates, video and photographs, the National Police Service (NPS) has not made any formal statement on the incidents and no prosecutions have been undertaken.