NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 25 — Civil society coalition Missing Voices has urged Parliament to enact legislation criminalizing enforced disappearances and to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.The rights lobby warned that the absence of a clear legal framework continues to hinder accountability for abuses by security forces.The call came during the launch of the Missing Voices Annual Report 2025 in Mathare, Nairobi, where coalition members stressed the need for stronger legal safeguards and institutional reforms to address persistent extrajudicial killings and disappearances.“Parliament should enact a law specifically criminalising enforced disappearances or amend existing legislation to do so, and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,” the coalition said in its report released on Tuesday.The proposed legislation, the coalition added, should include provisions for reparations and legal recourse for victims and their families.The report documents 131 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in 2025, including 125 police killings and six enforced disappearances.While the overall number of violations declined by 17.6 per cent compared with 2024, police killings rose sharply by 20 per cent, from 104 cases in 2024 to 125 in 2025, raising concerns about continued excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies. In contrast, enforced disappearances dropped by 89 per cent, from 55 in 2024 to six in 2025.The coalition cautioned that the decline in disappearances does not necessarily signal improved accountability, noting that the lack of a law criminalizing enforced disappearances continues to impede justice for victims’ families.The report indicates that the majority of killings occurred during public protests and demonstrations, with June and July emerging as the deadliest months, accounting for 68 deaths — more than half of all killings recorded in 2025.Nairobi County remained the leading hotspot for extrajudicial killings for the fourth consecutive year, while other counties recorded smaller yet concerning numbers of cases.Young people were disproportionately affected, with those aged 19 to 35 making up the largest share of victims. Men accounted for about 90% of deaths, reflecting persistent gendered patterns in the use of excessive force.Shootings were the most common method, with 114 police killings by firearm, raising questions about adherence to national and international standards governing the use of force.Despite ongoing documentation and advocacy, the coalition said accountability for abuses remains limited. Oversight bodies such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) continue to face resource constraints that slow investigations and prosecutions.The coalition also highlighted shrinking civic space and rising attacks on human rights defenders and protesters, trends that threaten democratic participation and the rule of law.The coalition called on the National Police Service to reform crowd control practices and ensure proper documentation of detainees, while urging the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the judiciary to fast-track cases involving police abuses and strengthen case management systems to ensure timely justice