Activist Collins Otieno Found After Days of Uncertainty

Activist Collins Otieno has been found after reportedly going missing while seeking assistance to trace fellow activist Boniface Mulinge Muteti, who disappeared following protests in Nairobi earlier this week.

Otieno was among activists involved in demonstrations in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Monday, September 21, calling for the release of detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

According to an update issued on Saturday by Vocal Africa Chief Executive Officer Hussein Khalid, Otieno was found along Thika Road at around 4:30am after a boda boda rider discovered him and took him to Neema Uhai Hospital in the Kasarani area.

Khalid said Otieno was receiving treatment and described him as disoriented, weak and injured.

Otieno was searching for missing colleague

Otieno's reported disappearance came as activists and family members were searching for Muteti, who had gone missing on September 21.

Muteti was found alive in the Lukenya area of Machakos County early Friday, September 25, after several days without contact. He was subsequently taken to hospital in the Mlolongo area for treatment.

Reports indicated that Muteti had left fellow protesters in Nairobi's CBD to print a petition before he became unreachable.

Otieno reportedly became involved in efforts to establish Muteti's whereabouts and had gone to report the disappearance before he too could no longer be traced.

Circumstances remain unclear

The circumstances surrounding Otieno's disappearance and how he came to be found along Thika Road have not been publicly detailed.

Khalid's account provides information on where Otieno was discovered and his condition, but does not establish who may have been responsible for his disappearance or what happened during the period he could not be reached.

Similarly, questions remain over the circumstances surrounding Muteti's disappearance and subsequent discovery in Lukenya. Reports at the time said he was found weak, injured and disoriented.

Calls for answers

The two cases have drawn attention from human rights groups and activists, particularly because they followed demonstrations concerning the continued detention of Kizza Besigye.

Before Otieno was found, human rights defenders had publicly called for information about his whereabouts and urged authorities to establish his location.

Muteti's disappearance had also prompted legal action, with an application filed at the Milimani Law Courts seeking information on his whereabouts and records relating to his alleged arrest, custody or transfer. Police had not publicly confirmed that he was in their custody.

With both activists now located, attention is expected to shift toward their recovery and establishing the circumstances surrounding the periods in which they could not be traced.