Four young Kenyan men who went missing just before the Christmas holidays have been found alive, family members and rights groups have said.
Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, with the state-funded human rights group claiming more than 80 people have been abducted in the past six months.
The kidnappings typically target government critics and are believed to be the work of security agents, although the government has not claimed responsibility.
They began in June of last year during national protests against taxes, but escalated in December when AI-generated photos of the president in a casket were widely circulated.
The youth-led protests forced President William Ruto to withdraw a series of planned tax hikes and shook his government, leaving his authority badly damaged.
Among those released on Monday was 24-year-old student Billy Mwangi in Embu, in the central Mount Kenya region.
Local MP Gitonga Mukunji told journalists that Mr Mwangi “was whipped and beaten while in a dark room. He is traumatised”.
His father said he was unable to discuss what he had experienced and was taken to hospital.
“He came home around eight in the morning. He was walking alone – his mother and I saw him. Thank you to everyone who prayed and supported him,” he told the Daily Nation news site.
Last week, Mr Mwangi's father collapsed in court as he pleaded for his son's release.
A relative of 22-year-old Peter Muteti, who was captured in the capital on December 21, told the BBC on Monday that he had been reunited with family but was disoriented and unable to talk about the ordeal.
Amnesty International Kenya welcomed the release and called on “the state to release all abductees and hold those responsible accountable.”
Two weeks ago, police denied responsibility for the kidnappings carried out by plainclothes men across the country, some of which were caught on CCTV.
On Monday of police released an update acknowledging the release of the abducted men, saying they had already been in contact with one who had turned himself in at a police station.
Police said investigations into all missing persons cases are ongoing.
Human rights groups and other Kenyans have linked the abductions to a shadowy intelligence and counter-terrorism unit of the security forces.
Amid the public outcry, President Ruto said last month: “We will stop kidnappings so that our youths can live peacefully and have discipline,” while urging parents to look after their children.
So far, no one has been released since he spoke on December 27, with activists planning protests on Monday to force the government to act.
Two other youths – Rony Kiplangat and Bernard Kavuli – have also been released, their families told local media.
Mr Kavuli, a content creator, was captured on the outskirts of the city in December, while Mr Kiplangat is the brother of satirical cartoonist Kibet Bul, who also disappeared last month.
Kibet Bul is known for his silhouette caricature memes criticizing the president. Two others were seized after posting AI-generated images of the president in a casket.
Police said Mr Kawuli had been helping them with their investigations after he turned himself in at a police station at Moi Bridge in western Kenya.
A statement said they would be contacting the other three “and their families and giving them all the support they need as we seek further information to assist ongoing investigations”.
The Law Association of Kenya has filed a lawsuit against the state demanding the immediate and unconditional release of seven people abducted last month, including those who have already been released.
The situation continues to spread fear across the country, with parents worried for their children's safety and activists vowing to keep up the pressure until all the missing are found.