Activist Collins Otieno Found Injured Along Thika Road After Reported Disappearance
Activist Collins Otieno has been found after reportedly going missing, with rights defender Hussein Khalid saying he was found along Thika Road early Saturday morning.
The Vocal Africa CEO said Otieno was found by a boda boda rider who took him to hospital after discovering him along the highway.
“Comrade Collins Otieno has been found. He was dumped along Thika Road. A good Samaritan boda boda guy found him around 4.30 am and rushed him to hospital,” Khalid said in an update.
Weak, Disoriented and Injured
He said Otieno was in a weak and disoriented state and had sustained injuries.
“Like comrade Muteti, Collins is disoriented, weak and injured. He is presently at Neema Uhai Hospital around Kasarani receiving treatment,” he stated.
Pictures shared by Khalid showed Otieno lying on a hospital bed while receiving medical attention.
Second Activist Found This Week
His discovery came a day after activist Boniface Mulinge Muteti was also found in Lukenya, Machakos County, after reportedly going missing.
Muteti had spoken from a hospital bed after his reported disappearance, alleging that he had been abducted and questioned about his activism before being found in the Lukenya area.
Speaking from a hospital bed while receiving treatment on Friday, Muteti said the people who took him had been following him from his home and questioned him about his activism.
“Those people were following me from the house. It’s not the first time,” Muteti said.
He said those who took him asked several questions during the ordeal, making it difficult for him to establish the specific reason for his alleged abduction.
“They had so many questions, so it’s hard to know the specific reason. They abducted me and would ask me, ‘Kwa nini nimekuwa nasumbua?'” he said.
Otieno Was Tracing Muteti
Otieno reportedly went missing while seeking assistance to trace Muteti, who had also disappeared earlier in the week.
According to information shared by human rights defenders, Otieno had been trying to establish Muteti’s whereabouts when he himself went missing.
Otieno was among several activists arrested in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Monday during protests over the continued detention of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
His subsequent reported disappearance prompted concern among fellow activists and rights groups, who sought information on his whereabouts.
Calls for Investigation
The two cases have raised concern among human rights defenders and civil society organisations, who have called for investigations into the circumstances surrounding the activists’ reported disappearances.
The developments have renewed calls by rights groups for authorities to investigate reports involving missing activists and establish what happened to them before they were found.