Protests erupted in several parts of Moyale in Marsabit County on January 27th after residents found the body of a young man at a crusher site in Walda, his eyes blindfolded, severely tortured and bearing multiple gunshot wounds, the BBC reported.

The victim was identified as Liban Boru, a 29 year-old herder and a father of two, who was abducted on the evening of Jan. 25, 2026, by armed men in plain clothes traveling in an unmarked vehicle.

Liban’s gruesome killing comes amid growing reports of deaths and disappearances linked to ‘Operation Ondoa Jangili’, a special security campaign the Kenyan National Police Service (NPS) launched in February of last year. The operation came after Kenya and Ethiopia agreed to fight against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) active at the borders of the two countries.

The OLA on its part denies any links to criminal activities, and said that it “fully respects Kenya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The police says the operation targets “criminals” that pose a serious threat to “Kenyan national security”, but residents and rights groups accuse security forces of unlawfully confiscating  property, abductions, torture and extrajudicial killings, with some witnesses putting the number of youth reported missing since the operation began as high as 79.

Buke Malicha, whose son is among the missing, told the BBC she wants authorities to release him “dead or alive. If he’s dead then at least I’ll mourn him, and if he’s alive, take him to court to face the law,” she said.

Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) condemned the alarming human rights violations being meted out to innocent civilians in Moyale, including the murder of boda‑boda driver Galgalo Abkul Boru on Feb. 23, 2025 and the abductions of seven men.

The commission said police opened fire on Boru and his passenger at Belgesha, killing him and wounding the rider, and documented enforced disappearances, torture of community leaders, the beating of 10 locals, the arrest of a five‑year‑old boy to pressure his father, and the reported confiscation of 150 goats and several motorbikes, violations it said show a disturbing pattern of disregard for human rights and rule of law.

The elected member of the Marsabit County Assembly representing Obbu Ward criticized the government, saying security agencies tasked with protecting citizens were instead harming them.

“We want the government to tell us whether we are Kenyans or not,” he said at a press conference. “If anyone commits a crime, the law and due process is there, but this kind of brutality against citizens is unacceptable.”

A peaceful protest organized in Moyale against alleged extrajudicial killings turned chaotic when police fired tear gas and arrested demonstrators, temporarily shutting down major roads.

Marsabit County Sen. Mohamed Chute has called for a prompt and transparent investigation into Boru’s death. 

Some residents told the BBC they no longer feel safe and are considering fleeing to neighboring Ethiopia.