Photo/poster: Kumbitrace
Update 6 January: The cartoonist turned up. Kibet revealed that he had been abandoned in the Luanda area of Vihiga County at around 3am. Disoriented and not knowing where to go, he reportedly attended a local "disco matanga" (nightly funeral dance) before getting a bus ticket home. According to Kibet, he was abducted in Kikuyu. His captors blindfolded him and put him in a vehicle. They drove him for a long time and then locked him in a small room. He also said that the kidnappers denied him food.
Nigerian media reported the disappearance of Gideon Kibet, a cartoonist who goes by the name"Kibet Bull". According to Kibet's family, his brother Rony Kiplangat has also been missing since Saturday 21 December.
Speaking to Citizen Digital, the family said that when Kiplangat disappeared on Saturday, they thought he had gone to church. They waited until the evening and phoned him several times, but could not reach him.
The cartoonist, who has been missing since Tuesday 24 December, is a student at Egerton University in Nakuru and is known for his cartoons with a particular style of silhouettes depicting characters such as President William Ruto. He has also shared humorous images of other leaders in the executive and judiciary.
Although many believe that Kibet Bull's disappearance is directly related to the critical content of his cartoons, Busia senator and presidential aspirant Okiya Omtatah denied accusations that he was involved in the alleged abduction of the popular cartoonist.
Through his X-account, Omtatah denied a tweet by political activist Francis Gaitho, who had claimed that Omtatah collaborated with "the regime" to betray young activists and contribute to their arrest or abduction. Francis Gaitho even accused him of organising Kibet's murder.
Later, the senator would insist that they are doing everything possible to locate the cartoonist and that they were following the trail of a Subaru Forester with registration number KCG 089A bearing false plates.
We have done our best to try and find @Kibet_bull since learning that he's missing. I led teams in conducting searches in police stations yesterday, spoke with persons of interest, reported the matter to the police, obtained information about the Subaru Forester mounted with... pic.twitter.com/FnSevUxSAD
- Okiya Omtatah Okoiti (@OkiyaOmtatah) December 26, 2024
This is not an isolated incident; Kenya has a major problem with abductions and/or enforced disappearances. Kibet's case is one in a recent spate of abductions, including those of creators, activists and other active social media users. At least 10 people have disappeared during the month of December alone.
Cartoon by Kenyan Victor Ndula
Cartoon by Godfrey Mwampembwa, alias"Gado".
Poster for a demonstration against President William Ruto on 31 December in protest against abductions and arbitrary arrests calling for his resignation.
Humour in trouble, a collection of cases
Cases of cartoonists who have had problems of some importance because of their cartoons or satirical illustrations. There are also some stories of other people who, without being cartoonists, have got into trouble for sharing them.
