In what went down as one of Kenya’s darkest years (2017), 138 kidnappings incidents were reported, translating to an abduction incident every 2 and a half days. Surprisingly, kidnapping was not mentioned in the entire NPS report, with ‘other offences against persons’ the category that could have included that particular crime. As per the NPS 2018 Annual Crime Report, there were 22,515 reported incidents tagged under the ‘other offences against persons’ category in 2017. The Kenya 2020 Crime & Safety Report, kidnapping was highlighted as a major threat, with warnings issued for both residents and non-residents to remain vigilant. The startling rise in similar incidents has exposed several shortcomings in Kenya’s security apparatus, with Kenyans demanding action.

Source: Daily Nation July 18, 2021 11:48 UTC