The recent events of abductions, forced disappearances

Anti-riot police officer arrest a suspected protester during a demonstration against the government in Nairobi, Kenya, on August. [AFP]

Recent abductions, forced disappearances, and mysterious killings push us to reflect deeply into who we are as a people: Africans. Kenyans. When the state responds to dissent with excessive force, it signals more than a failure of policy. It reveals a deeper crisis of legitimacy and purpose.

According to the Frustration–Aggression Theory, institutions facing blocked goals often project aggression toward weaker or more accessible targets. In Kenya today, this dynamic is tragically at play. The frustration of a fragile governing elite, unable to deliver on public expectations, haunted by corruption scandals, and disconnected from popular struggles, erupts in coercive actions against citizens. Protesters are suppressed, civic actors intimidated, and voices of dissent silenced.