Politician among protesters arrested in Kenya while calling for an end to alleged abductions

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An opposition politician and several other protesters were arrested in Kenya on Monday during street demonstrations calling for an end to alleged abductions, that recently targeted young government critics.

Senator Okiya Omtatah had joined hundreds of protesters who sat down on the streets of the capital, Nairobi while chanting that police should free seven people abducted this month.

Police hurled tear gas canisters at the protesters and when Omtatah and several others did not disperse and held on to a long chain, they were arrested.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Thursday raised concern over a growing number of alleged kidnappings of government critics, saying that the total number of such cases stands at 82 since the anti-government protests in June.

President William Ruto on Saturday said the government would stop the abductions so that young people live in peace.

Rights groups allege the country’s police force is behind such kidnappings, but police have denied involvement and have said that they are investigating the disappearances.

Senator Omtatah on Monday filed a case at the High Court in Nairobi seeking to compel the government to free seven youths, accusing the police of abducting them.

“If they have committed a crime, let them be prosecuted and presented in court to defend themselves,” he said.

Young protesters said they were in solidarity with those abducted while going about their daily lives.

“We are existing at a time where we have to live in fear,” a protester, Orpah Thabiti said.

Four social media users went missing after they shared AI-generated images of President Ruto that were deemed offensive by government supporters.

The rights commission had warned that Kenya was heading back to the “dark days” of the disappearance of government critics. The abduction and torture of the opposition were common under the administration of the late President Daniel Moi.

Police arrest protesters who have chained themselves during protests against abductions in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

A man lies down on the ground after being tear-gassed by police during a protests against abductions dubbed "End Protests" in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

A man reacts after being tear-gassed by police during protests against abductions dubbed 'EndProtests' in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Police on horses surround protesters during protests against abductions in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)