Athorbey Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit, a South Sudanese whistle- blower and Kenyan citizen who was abducted in Nairobi and taken to South Sudan, has been released after nearly two months in detention, his family said on today Monday.
Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit, 51, disappeared in June after leaving a casino in Nairobi. His wife told police that armed, masked men seized him and forced him into a vehicle.
Rights groups quickly raised alarm over his disappearance. Amnesty International Kenya said at the time that the circumstances bore the hallmarks of an enforced disappearance and called on Kenyan authorities to establish his whereabouts and investigate the incident.
His family said he was later taken to Juba, where he was held at a military facility.
Family, the family said Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit was released on August 8 after investigations by South Sudanese authorities found no wrongdoing.
“We are very happy that Gaddhaffy has been returned to us after being abducted from Kenya and held in detention in Juba for almost two months,” the family said in a statement.
The family said they had never been told why he was taken.
His health, meanwhile, had deteriorated during his detention. He is now receiving medical treatment in Kenya, according to his relatives.
Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit had been living in Nairobi and had publicly raised concerns about alleged corruption in South Sudan. Before his disappearance, he had told people close to him that he feared for his safety.
Earlier reports said he had been speaking with journalists, researchers and activists about alleged corruption involving the collection and management of state revenues in South Sudan. The allegations have drawn scrutiny from international organisations, while the South Sudanese government has rejected claims of wrongdoing.
Amnesty International had urged Kenya to investigate how the dual citizen was taken from its territory and transferred to South Sudan.
The case has also renewed concern among rights groups about the safety of dissidents and critics who live in Kenya but face threats from authorities in neighbouring countries.
Kenya has previously faced scrutiny over cases involving foreign opposition figures who were seized or transferred from its territory. The abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye in 2024 was among the incidents that prompted wider debate about Kenya’s role as a regional refuge for political dissidents.
For Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit’s family, however, the immediate concern is his recovery.
After weeks in detention and uncertainty over his whereabouts, he is back in Kenya and receiving medical care.
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