Kenyan Cartoonist Kibet Bull Found Alive
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Kenyan cartoonist and social media influencer Kibet Bull has been found alive after being abducted Dec. 24. Kibet. His brother and four other young men were abducted in the weeks prior in what appears to be a politically motivated kidnappings by President William Ruto’s government. Kibet’s viral silhouette cartoons, shared on social media, were sharply critical of the president.
Details of his abduction are being pieced together. His brother, Ronny Kipangat, was abducted on Dec. 21. Kibet went to visit Senator Okiya Omtatah on Dec 24 and was abducted after leaving Omtatah’s office. Omtatah disclosed after the abduction news broke that his security team had observed Kibet was being followed.
Omtatah, on X, details what happened to Kibet after leaving his office.
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He briefly narrated to me how he was abducted.
After he left my office, my driver dropped him safely at the Archives in the CBD. He board a Super Metro bus and travelled to Kikuyu.
It was at Kikuyu that he was kidnapped. The kidnappers blindfolded him and bundled him into a vehicle.
They drove for a long distance and then took him to a small room where they locked him up.
He also mentioned that the abductors denied food.
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After being released between 3 and 4 am in a strange town, Kibet says he tried unsuccessfully to get help by knocking on the doors of three homes before being drawn by music to a disco club, where he stayed until morning, when he could arrange transportation home.
According to The Star, the experience has affected his motivation to continue posting cartoons.
“After what happened, I have to minimise the activity on social media,” he said.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 82 cases of abduction have been reported since June 2024. The abduction of Kibet and the four other young men inspired protests in Nairobi. The other four abductees were released last week. Roughly 24 individuals are still missing.
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