Anti-abduction protesters hit Kenyan capital (VIDEO)

“Our brothers are missing,” an activist from the African nation told Ruptly

Kenyan police have fired tear gas on the streets of Nairobi in an effort to disperse dozens of protesters rallying against the alleged disappearance of government critics.

Video footage posted online by Ruptly video agency shows activists staging sit-ins as gas grenades exploded in the vicinity and clouds of tear gas hung in the air. The demonstrators chanted slogans critical of the government, with some holding posters denouncing illegal detentions, while police officers on horseback patrolled nearby.

“We are here today to protest about the police brutality, and abductions have increased. Our brothers are missing and sisters and we are here to say no to the brutality and abductions,” Beatrice Ngina, one of the activists, told Ruptly.

Footage shared by Agence France-Presse shows opposition lawmaker Okiya Omtatah, who was reportedly detained during the rally, joining a sit-in protest alongside demonstrators holding chains and placards, while riot police tried to prise them apart.

“The government of President Ruto, stop abducting people!” Omtatah demanded, blaming the head of state William Ruto for “targeting” critics. “This regime has become rogue and we are here… to call the regime back to order. To demand that the regime follows the rule of law or it vacates office.”

Last week, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights issued a warning, claiming that Kenya was heading back to the “dark days” amid a growing number of alleged kidnappings of government critics. The commission claimed that the total number of cases stands at 82 since anti-government protests started in June.

Rights groups have accused national police of being responsible for disappearances of people. Police have denied the allegations, insisting that they are investigating the incidents.

President Ruto, who had previously described reports of abductions as “fake news,” pledged on Monday to stop the wave of disappearances.

“What has been said about abductions, we will stop them so Kenyan youth can live in peace, but they should have discipline and be polite so that we can build Kenya together,” Ruto said at a stadium in Homa Bay, in the west of the country, as quoted by CNN Africa.