National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga has dismissed claims of a surge in missing children’s cases across the country.
Speaking during an interview with renowned news journalist, Trevor Ombija, Muchiri said police investigations had uncovered the intrusion of AI and recycled content circulating online.
According to Muchiri, some of the images and clips recently shared on social media are not linked to new incidents, but are old materials being recirculated, creating a false impression that cases are rapidly increasing.
“But then something else that we’ve also noticed, during our analysis, we have the intrusion of AI and fakes because you realize that some of the clips that for instance that we’ve seen in recent times, you find that this is something that is recycled, that had been seen at some other point.
“It would place the country at such a point where we suddenly start realizing or thinking there’s a surge, that we have an emergency of these cases. That is not the case at all.” Muchiri said.
He urged the public to remain calm and rely on verified information when discussing such matters.
Conflicting Data on Missing Children Cases
During the interview, Trevor noted that the number of missing children cases reported between January 2025 and now appeared to be rising, citing figures suggesting that more than 10,000 children are missing, an average of 23 cases per day.
Responding to the claims, police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said there appears to be a disconnect between figures shared by different organizations and official police records.
According to the CEO of Missing Child Kenya Foundation Maryana Munyendo, varying reporting systems may explain the differences in the numbers being shared publicly.
“From the year 2016 up until now, our organization has handled about 1,883 cases in total. That shows there are still different datasets across organizations because of the different ways children go missing. What we are trying to see is how we can consolidate this data and put it on one platform so that all of us can speak from one point,” said Maryana.
Official Police Records
Muchiri maintained that official police data does not indicate an abnormal spike in cases.
According to police records, 139 cases have been reported in 2026 so far. In 2025, police recorded 754 officially reported cases that were actively under investigation, while 1,276 cases were reported in 2024.
He further noted that some of the cases are already before the courts, while others remain under active investigation.
“This year, we have 41 cases that are actively in courts, they are pending under the jurisdiction of the court. At the same time, we have 52 cases, that are now under investigations by the police departments.” Muchiri said.
Missing Children Cases Spark Public Concern
Muchiri’s remarks come amid growing public concern over missing children cases that have sparked widespread debate on social media in recent months.
Kenyans online have increasingly shared photos, posters, and videos of missing children, with many expressing fears over the safety of minors across the country.
The circulation of such content has fueled anxiety and intensified calls for stronger child protection measures and faster investigations into reported disappearances.
The cases involve children and young people of different age groups, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, with some later being found safe while others have tragically been discovered dead.
