Families of missing Kenyans lay bare frustrations in search of their kin as IPOA decry lack of capacity to handle cases

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has admitted it is overstretched and lacks sufficient investigators, even as families of victims of enforced disappearances accused the agency of failing to act on their cases despite formal reports being lodged.

Speaking in Mombasa during a community dialogue organised by Missing Voices to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, IPOA Chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan said the institution faces severe resource and manpower shortages, yet remains committed to pursuing justice for affected families.

“As a country, without the dangerous work of human rights defenders, we can easily fall back into dictatorship. We owe them a lot of thanks. As IPOA, we are committed to ensuring justice for families whose loved ones were unlawfully killed by police or have disappeared,” said Ahmed.

He disclosed that IPOA currently has only 77 investigators against a required 440, describing the situation as a major obstacle in handling the high number of cases.

“On one hand, police officers tell their superiors and government, ‘we cannot work because we fear IPOA, it is tying our hands’. On the other hand, the public says IPOA is doing nothing. We are between a rock and a hard place, trying to balance these interests. What I can assure you as chairperson is that IPOA will remain independent and pursue justice for families,” he stated.

Ahmed revealed that several files, including those arising from the Gen Z protests, had been investigated and forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

However, he noted that some files had been closed due to a lack of cooperation from victims’ families.

“I urge families to work with IPOA so that we can build a country and a government that respects the rule of law. If you are scared, we have a witness protection agency. Please be patient, we are overstretched, but we are working,” he added.

Despite these assurances, grieving families recounted harrowing experiences of loved ones abducted in broad daylight or taken from their homes, only to vanish without a trace.

Phineas Kiremi, whose brother David Taitun was abducted in August 2020 near the regional police headquarters in Mombasa, said they reported the matter to IPOA, but to date, they had not received justice.

"His vehicle was found abandoned, but he was taken away by six armed men using three Subarus and a Land Cruiser. An inquest has been in court for five years, but no progress has been made because the investigating officer does not show up to testify. We do not want compensation. We want justice or at least his body, so we can bury him.”

Another family member, Agnes, said her brother Sengo was taken in 2021.

“He was arrested in Changamwe, held for 14 days, and later released by the Mombasa Law Courts after being found innocent. But as he left the court gate, three vehicles intercepted him, and he was taken away. We have never seen him again.”

Shee Hussein from Kwale County narrated how his brother, Muhamad Hussein, was abducted from his home in 2020.

“They shot in the air, questioned his wife, and then took him away. We reported to Msambweni Police Station, but nothing was done. IPOA only came two years later, when even the OB number had gone missing. My brother left behind a wife and seven children, and I now support them. The government calls others terrorists, but people are disappearing in their hands. We do not want money. We just want our loved ones, even if it is their bodies, to bury them.”

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• International Justice Mission
• Ahmed Issack Hassan
• Missing Voices
• Families of missing Kenyans lay bare frustrations in search of their kin as IPOA decry lack of capacity to handle cases
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Civil society leaders condemned the state for perpetuating a culture of impunity.

Executive Director of Haki Africa, Yusuf Abubakar, said over 100 people have been killed or disappeared unlawfully.

“We know the hand of government has been behind these disappearances. Those who return alive are warned not to speak, while those who speak out are threatened. At one point, bodies were dumped in Tsavo, and later in the River Yala. Now we wonder, where are people being taken? Some even suspect Shakahola.”

Vincent Chahale of International Justice Mission (IJM) stressed that government compensation should not replace accountability.

“The state has committed to reparations, but justice must also be done. Families cannot simply be paid off. Officers responsible must face trial and conviction. Losing a son or daughter is not a small matter.”

MUHURI Board Chair, Khelef Khalifa, faulted the state for a lack of accountability in decades of killings.

“From the Wagalla massacre to Mungiki killings, no one has been jailed. Now, during peaceful Gen Z protests, youths are shot in the back. This is murder... Compensation is not enough. We want those responsible jailed.”

Other speakers, including Coast Civil Societies Chairman Zedekiah and Amnesty International’s Executive Director Irungu Houghton, emphasised the need for political accountability, judicial independence, and continued pressure to end the cycle of killings and disappearances.

Houghton warned, “Compensation and reparation are legitimate demands, but they must not be traded for justice. Officers found guilty must face criminal liability and prison. Otherwise, we risk creating a culture where police believe it is acceptable to kill, and taxpayers’ money is used to cover up these crimes.”

The community dialogue ended with renewed calls for transparency, accountability, and urgent action to end enforced disappearances in Kenya.