Freed Kenyans fuel controversy, human rights activists point fingers at security agencies

Three Kenyans at the heart of a high-profile abduction case have been freed, rights groups said Friday, accusing security forces of keeping them captive for weeks after they took part in anti-government protests.

The three were allegedly abducted by men identifying themselves as police on August 19 in Kitengela, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of the capital Nairobi.

Images on social media showed two of the men, looking shaken, following their release late Thursday.

"Our partners have confirmed their release," Cornelius Oduor, of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, told AFP.

"(The images) clearly show that the men were in distress... It points to the fact that they have been in captivity."

There has been no confirmation of where Bob Njagi, Aslam Longton, and his brother Jamil Longton were held.

But Oduor said: "We strongly believe that they were taken by security agents of Kenya."

The two brothers were dropped near the capital, according to tweets from the Kenyan Law Society, while Njagi presented himself to a nearby police station.

The case has dominated the Kenyan news in recent days after a court in Nairobi held the acting police chief, Gilbert Masengeli, in contempt for failing to appear to answer questions about the disappearance of the three men.

Having been given seven days to attend court or face a six-month prison sentence, Masengeli made a last-minute appearance on Friday and apologised for his absence, thus avoiding the conviction.

"We believe (the men's release) was intended to provide immediate grounds for (Masengeli) to challenge his conviction," said Oduor.

While the contempt charge against Masengeli was dropped, the case into the men's disappearance was set to continue.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority has said it was looking into multiple complaints of unlawful arrests and abductions in the wake of large-scale anti-government protests that broke out in Kenya in June.

More than 60 people died during the protests themselves, leading to the resignation of police chief Japhet Koome.

Previous abduction cases have sparked furious protests in Kenya.

In February 2023, three police officers were handed sentences ranging from 24 years in jail to the death penalty for the brutal murder of rights lawyer Willie Kimani and two other people.

Their bodies were found wrapped in sacks and dumped in a river outside Nairobi in June 2016.