Activist Julius Kamau holds a placard reading “End State Abductions Now” on Kimathi Street in Nairobi on December 28, 2024.
Human rights defenders and families whose relatives have gone missing say they will take to the streets today (Monday) to protest against abduction by individuals suspected to be rogue police.
The activists organising the nationwide demonstrations on Sunday said everything was set, adding that the demos would be the “mother of all protests”.
The protests come after the expiry of a 48-hour ultimatum issued last Friday by the activists and families of the persons allegedly abducted by agents of the State.
They had asked the government to unconditionally release all individuals being held incommunicado failure to which they threatened to express their grievances on the streets.
The Nation is aware that a daylong meeting was held in Nairobi on Sunday to finalise the arrangements for the protests, with one of the activists at the meeting saying "everything is ready”.
“We will occupy for as many days until those abducted are released. We do not care how long it will take. The time for talking is over,” he said.
While calling for the demonstrations last week, the human rights defenders cited grave concerns over injustices and lack of accountability by the government.
Key among their demands is for President William Ruto to tell the country who exactly is abducting Kenyans after police and Interior Ministry denied any involvement.
They accused the Head of State of turning a blind eye to the worrying trend of abductions happening in the country saying his silence over the issue betrays him.
Their cause has attracted the attention of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who is now a vocal critic of President Ruto.
While addressing journalists in western on Sunday, Mr Gachagua, alongside DAP-Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa and former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, issued President Ruto’s administration an ultimatum of 72 hours to release the persons reported missing.
Demonstrations
Should the government not heed this call, then the leaders vowed to call Kenyans for mass demonstrations across the country beginning January 1, 2025.
Just three days ago, Mr Gachagua said that there was a secret abduction squad, allegedly being led by a certain Mr Abel that is operating from the twenty-first floor of a building in Nairobi City Centre.
The former DP promised to give more details on this squad this week even as he criticised the government for orchestrating the unlawful abduction of the youth.
“Abducting these children is not a solution. This the first administration in the history of this country to target children for repression,” he said.
This came as the Embu County security team warned residents over planned demonstrations over the abduction of college student, Billy Munyiri Mwangi.
County police commander Samuel Muthamia on Sunday said residents were disrupting peace and told them to desist from engaging in unlawful activities.
"We have been looking for Mwangi since he went missing and you should give us time," said the police boss.
He said preliminary investigations established that Mr Mwangi’s phone was switched off immediately after he was taken away, just 400 metres from the scene.
The motive behind the abduction is yet to be established.
On Friday, angry residents took to the streets protesting against the abduction, causing tension in Embu town and its environs.
Business halted when traders closed their shops fearing looting.
"We understand that there are more planned demonstrations. We ask residents to be calm and give us enough time to look for Mwangi," said Mr Muthamia.
Mr Mwangi, who stays in Nairobi, was at home for the holidays when the worst happened to him. On December 21, the 24-year-old was at a barber shop in Embu town waiting to be shaved when a white double-cabin pick-up pulled up.
Four hooded men, suspected to be government security agents alighted, grabbed the unsuspecting Mwangi and dragged him towards the car, much to the astonishment of onlookers.
29 people missing
As of now, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights records show that 82 abduction cases have been recorded since June, with 29 people still missing. Seven of these cases were reported in the last two weeks alone.
In June this year, anti-government protests, majorly coordinated by the youth, erupted in response to proposed tax hikes in the Finance Bill 2024, resulting in the death of at least 61 people as reported by a consortium of several human rights organisations, including Amnesty International.
Thus far, no single police officer involved in the cases of extrajudicial killings, abductions or use of excessive force during the protests has been charged, a fact that has angered many Kenyans who have been demanding action.
Independent Policing Oversight Authority boss, Issack Hassan issued a press statement last week saying the authority is “concerned about the increasing cases of abductions of various people allegedly by members of the National Police Service”.
Mr Hassan called for an end to this worrying trend and told Kenyans that all officers found culpable should be brought to justice.
He also revealed that rapid response teams had been deployed to areas where the incidents of abductions have occurred to gather intel on the circumstances of the abductions and establish if there was police involvement as widely alleged.
