"Video Shows Moments Before Activist Shad Khalif's Alleged Abduction"

A CCTV video circulating online captures the moments before social media personality and Gen Z activist Shadrack Kiprono, also known as Shad Khalif, was allegedly abducted.

The footage, dated Sunday, June 23, 2024, shows Shadrack walking through a shopping complex in Nairobi’s South B area, where he is approached by a group of individuals who forcibly bundle him into a white Toyota Prado, registration number KCZ 846 A.

Shadrack gained fame as one of the organizers of the successful #Occupy Parliament Protests on June 18. His public visibility increased on Monday, June 17, where he was seen distributing placards and flyers in Nairobi streets to mobilize against the finance bill.

In a street interview with the media, Shad urged Kenyans to join the protests, asserting that he was not an activist but rather he compelled by government actions to advocate for citizen rights.

The whereabouts of Shadrack and the identity of his abductors remain unknown. The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with Kenyans demanding his immediate release.

Shad, a finance professional, voiced strong opposition to new taxes proposed in the Finance Bill, aimed at burdening the ordinary citizen. During a televised interview on June 19, he publicly requested financial support from Embakasi MP Babu Owino amounting to Ksh 500,000 to sustain the #Occupy Parliament demonstrations.

In a pointed message to President William Ruto, Shadrack declared, Mr. President, this is a message from the young generation. We know you are very eloquent, and we have had your sweet tongue for the last many years, and we are tired of listening to your lies,” he read.

He vowed that protests would persist until the contentious finance bill was unequivocally withdrawn. “On the matter of sustainability of the demonstrations for as long as the finance Bill in its current form continues to be debatable, we the youth of this country do not need financial assistance to show up to make noise to use tools and resources close to us displeasure and dissatisfaction.”

Additionally, social media influencer Billy Simani was reported abducted from his home on Friday evening and detained until Saturday evening, when the Law Society of Kenya intervened. The LSK acted on a tip-off that led to Billy's undisclosed location for most of the day.