State using abductions to stifle protests
Police officers arresting activist Boniface Mwangi on Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi during anti-government protest on July 25, 2024.
Kenya is facing a troubling rise in reports of abductions aimed at silencing dissenting voices. Recent cases have drawn widespread condemnation and sparked concern about the use of forced disappearances as a means of suppressing criticism. Funny enough, such actions will only fuel greater rebellion, giving birth to a cycle of oppression that stirs resistance instead of achieving compliance.
Rights activist and photojournalist Boniface Mwangi was reportedly abducted from his home in Machakos by six unidentified individuals. According to his wife, the abductors roughed him up before driving him away. He was later booked at Kamukunji Police Station. Mwangi, known for his outspoken criticism of government policies and calls for accountability, joins a growing list of individuals targeted in similar ways. His abduction adds to concerns that enforced disappearances are becoming a tool to instil fear among those challenging the authorities.
These methods of stifling dissent violate constitutional freedoms of speech and expression, raising questions about the integrity of the country’s democratic institutions. By suppressing dissent rather than addressing the underlying grievances, authorities risk exacerbating tensions.
Abductions and intimidation tactics must cease to safeguard the principles of freedom, transparency and justice, which are essential for a stable and democratic Kenya.
Ayub Njuguna, Egerton University
Since July of this year, the government apparatuses have been proactive in disrupting and disorganising any planning of protests by a variety of means. Yesterday’s arrest of Boniface Mwangi is one of the means. Boni had been organising an “occupation” of the StanChart Nairobi Marathon to protest the abductions of people in the country as well as the bank’s unethical practices. He was picked up in a dramatic fashion aimed at scaring off future protest planners.
National Intelligence Service operatives have infiltrated every space online, using divide and conquer to disrupt bubbling movements. This is why we may never experience another June 25 moment.
Joseph Katiku Kioko, Nairobi
