The youth-led protests forced President William Ruto to cancel a series of planned tax hikes and shook his government, severely undermining his authority.
Kibet Bull, known for his cartoon silhouette memes criticizing the president, announced his release on Monday afternoon at X with great fanfare.
He told his 105,000 followers that he had been dropped off in the city of Luanda, nearly 370 km (229 miles) from the capital Nairobi, where he was last seen in December.
Kibet Bull said that immediately after his release he went to a disco.
His mother told the BBC that she was “delighted” after hearing the news that her son had returned.
“I called him and we talked, we didn’t talk much, the moment he told me ‘I’m Kibet’ and I heard his voice, I screamed, I celebrated until he hung up,” she said.
Others released on Monday included 24-year-old student Billy Mwangi in Embu, in the central Mount Kenya region.
Local MP Gitongo Mukunji told reporters that Mr Mwangi “was beaten and beaten in a dark room. He is injured”.
Mr Mwangi’s father said his son was unable to discuss what he had experienced, adding that he had been taken to hospital.
“He came home around eight in the morning. He was walking alone – his mother and I saw him. We thank everyone who prayed and supported him,” he told the Daily Nation news website.
Last week, Mr Mwangi’s father broke down in court as he pleaded for his son’s release.
A relative of 22-year-old Peter Muteti, who was captured in Nairobi on December 21, told the BBC on Monday that he had been reunited with his family but was disoriented and unable to talk about the ordeal.
Amnesty International Kenya welcomed the release and called on “the state to release all abductees and bring those responsible to justice.”
Two weeks ago, police denied responsibility for a spate of plainclothes kidnappings across the country, some of which were caught on CCTV.
Human rights groups and other Kenyans have linked the abductions to a shadowy intelligence and counter-terrorism unit of the security forces.
Amid public outrage, President Ruto last month said: “We are going to stop kidnappings so that our youth can live peacefully and be disciplined,” while urging parents to take care of their children.
So far, no one has been released since his December 27 speech, and activists planned protests on Monday to force the government to act.
On Monday police issued an update, external admitting the release of the men, saying that they were already in contact with one of the abductees, Bernard Cavuli, who appeared at the police station.
The police said that an investigation is underway into all cases of missing persons.
Another man – Rony Kiplangat – was also released, his family told local media.
Mr Kavuli, a content creator, was arrested on the outskirts of Nairobi in December, while Mr Kiplangat is the brother of Kibet Bull.
Two others were seized after posting AI-generated images of the president.
At least 24 people are considered missing.
The Law Society of Kenya has launched a legal case against the state demanding the immediate and unconditional release of seven people abducted last month, including those who have now been released.
The situation continues to cause fear across the country, with parents worried for the safety of their children and activists vowing to keep up the pressure until all the missing are found.
