There was relief mixed with shock on Sunday evening when missing activist Davis Lichuma was finally found alive, but in a terrible state. The young man, who had been unaccounted for since his arrest during the June 25 protests, was discovered dumped at the Kenyatta National Hospital with serious injuries.
Lichuma, a member of the Mathare Social Justice Centre, was among six activists who went missing after they were arrested near Parliament Buildings during the Gen Z anniversary demonstrations.
For days, his family and fellow activists had been searching for him frantically, with human rights groups accusing police of holding him incommunicado. The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) had even declared that Lichuma remained "forcibly disappeared" and his whereabouts unknown.
His disappearance came at a time when five other activists who were arrested alongside him had already resurfaced in horrible conditions.
Those five were found dumped along Lang'ata Road and in Hurlingham early Saturday morning, all of them bearing injuries from severe beatings.
They later told harrowing stories from their hospital beds at Nairobi Women's Hospital, how they were bundled into Subaru vehicles, blindfolded, driven for hours to unknown locations, and tortured by people demanding to know who was financing the protests.
But Lichuma remained missing even as his comrades were being treated. This prompted human rights groups to issue a 24-hour ultimatum to authorities, demanding that they produce him or face fresh street demonstrations. The Social Justice Centres Working Group warned that they would hold the Inspector General of Police personally accountable if any harm came to him.
Lichuma's mother, Margaret Lichuma, had earlier spoken of her fears at a press briefing in Mathare. She revealed that her son had visited home on June 24 and asked her to pray for him, acknowledging the risks he faced by taking part in the protests.
She also disclosed that her son had a pre-existing stab wound on his abdomen, raising serious concerns about whether he was receiving any medical attention while in custody.
Now that Lichuma has been found alive, the focus has shifted to his condition and the circumstances that led to him being dumped at KNH.
His colleagues say he is unable to speak, which points to the severity of his injuries. The fact that he was found at a hospital suggests someone perhaps his abductors finally decided to drop him off rather than leave him to die.
Human rights activists have condemned the entire episode as a grave violation of constitutional rights. Former Chief Justice David Maraga, who attended a briefing in Mathare, delivered a sharp rebuke of the government, saying these disappearances were part of a broader pattern of constitutional disregard.
"We have a government that does not listen to its people, does not respect the constitution, and does not respect the law," Maraga said.
Amnesty International Kenya also weighed in, stating that enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention have no place in a constitutional democracy. The organisation demanded that authorities produce the activists before a court or release them immediately.
For now, Kenyans are left wondering what exactly happened to Davis Lichuma during the days he was missing. His colleagues at Mathare Social Justice Centre are calling for a thorough investigation into his abduction and torture.
They want answers and they want justice. As one activist put it, these are our brothers and sisters, and the government must respect and uphold the rights of every citizen.
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