Kenyan Athlete Arrested, Tortured in Congo Over M23 Rebel Mix-Up

Celebrated Kenyan long-distance runner Mr Kennedy Kiproo Lilan endured a distressing experience when security forces wrongfully detained him in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Lilan, a four-time city marathon winner, had been invited to participate in the Congo River Marathon. Upon arriving in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, Lilan found himself ensnared in a web of mistaken identity and accusations. Despite his explanation that he was merely an athlete competing in the marathon, he was apprehended by heavily armed soldiers who vehemently insisted that he was a member of the M23 rebel group active in the eastern region of the country. The ordeal unfolded as Lilan was accosted in his hotel, and robbed of his personal belongings, including a substantial sum of money, identification documents, and bank cards.

Undeterred by his protests, the soldiers forcibly dressed him in a military uniform and subjected him to an interrogation on video, during which they relentlessly pressured him to confess his alleged ties to the rebel group. Lilan’s national identification card was circulated online, falsely portrayed as evidence of his involvement with the M23 rebels. The footage of his interrogation, accompanied by an audio recording claiming that Kenyan nationals had been conscripted into the rebel group further worsened the situation.

Against all odds, he participated in the Congo River Marathon, wearing bib number 4242, and emerged victorious with a commendable finishing time of 02:22:49.3. However, his triumph was overshadowed by the lingering ordeal, as he is yet to receive the prize money owed to him by the race organizers at the time of reporting. Lilan’s experience took another turn when, in the dead of night, armed personnel forcibly entered his residence, shattering glass and ransacking the premises. Along with three colleagues, including Kenyan female athlete Jane Rotich, Lilan was marched to a military camp and detained for an agonizing four hours.

The athletes were then bundled into a Land Rover and driven around Kinshasa, enduring repeated threats of imprisonment or execution from their captors. The ordeal culminated in their transfer to the main prison, where they were informed that if no intervention secured their release, they would be executed. Eventually, the race organizer intervened and vouched for the athletes, leading to their release and escort to a hotel near the race venue. However, the soldiers imposed strict orders for them to remain confined within the hotel’s premises.

Lilan suspects a scheme may have been orchestrated to prevent his triumph in the marathon. Despite outreach from a government official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the athlete has yet to receive any assistance in unravelling the unsettling events that unfolded during his participation in the Congo River Marathon.