KHRC tells DP Kindiki, Murkomen to resign over abductions
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki addresses congregants during a thanksgiving service at the Full Gospel Churches of Kenya at Kamumu area in Embu County, on January 5, 2025. He affirmed that the government will not tolerate incitement of wananchi, stressing that while criticism is welcomed, it must be coupled with constructive solutions.
What you need to know:
- The Commission also said that it is documenting all the public utterances made by the leaders supporting the breakdown of the rule of law in the country adding that at the right time, they will all be held accountable.
- “The KHRC demands the immediate release of Ichung’wah, Kingi, Kamket, Sudi, Murkomen, Waluke, and DP Kindiki from their state offices over their utterances supporting abductions. The KHRC also calls for an impartial and thorough investigation into their statements and potential involvement in the abductions and extrajudicial killings of state critics,” the statement said.
A lobby group has demanded the resignation of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, and a host of MPs for allegedly endorsing abductions in the country.
Also required to resign are National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa, Tiaty MP William Kamket, his Kapsaret counterpart Oscar Sudi, and Sirisia MP John Waluke Sirisia.
In a press statement, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) cited public statements made by the leaders on different occasions, which they say are “implicit endorsement of abductions as a legitimate response to alleged violation of the law”.
KHRC said that the leaders’ utterances point to the reasonable likelihood that the rampant cases of abductions being witnessed in Kenya are state-sponsored.
The civil society group also quoted President William Ruto’s New Year message where the Head of State admitted that there have been instances of excessive and extrajudicial actions by members of the security services.
“State security agents have publicly denied involvement, while President William Ruto acknowledged their participation, saying his administration will stop the abductions,” he said.
The group faulted Mr Ichung’wah for supporting the sentiments of Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary General Francis Atwoli, who claimed that abductees were faking their abductions for financial gain.
“In what appeared to be an attempt to divert attention, Ichung’wah made startling claims about abductions and killings during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure, accusing a governor of orchestrating a scheme that led to dozens of missing persons’ bodies dumped in River Yala,” the group said.
Mr Ichung’wah and Mr Atwoli spoke during the funeral mass of the mother of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula last week.
It was still at the same event that Mr Kingi said the government would resort to brutal tactics to firmly deal with youthful critics while blaming their behaviour on a “lack of parental guidance.
On January 3, while speaking at a function in Bungoma, Mr Waluke said that abductions were fabricated stories to tarnish the reputation of President Ruto.
Two days later, during an interdenominational prayer at Elgeyo Marakwet, Mr Kamket dismissed those calling for Ruto’s resignation, terming them lazy bones in bed and warned that his side could extend Dr Ruto’s term without facing any consequences.
Mr Sudi did not hide his disdain for the youth who use AI-generated satirical images to criticise the president and said that if he were the Interior CS, it would only take him three days to “deal” with those creating and sharing the president’s silhouette images.
Mr Sudi’s threats came a week after Mr Murkomen, on December 27 in Bungoma, denied there were abductions and extrajudicial killings happening under President Ruto’s watch.
“Murkomen’s statement trivialises the executions of young people who exercise their right to freedom of expression in agitation against a regime that is miserably failing them,” KHRC said.
All these politicians, the Commission said, seem to have taken a cue from Prof Kindiki, who in September while serving in the Interior Ministry docket, appeared before the National Assembly’s Security Committee and “justified the use of excessive force by police against unarmed protestors leading to deaths and abductions”.
“The comments these politicians made violated our Constitution. State officers are bound by the national values and principles of governance, which include human rights, the rule of law, and democracy as espoused in Article 10 of the constitution,” KHRC said.
The Civil society also criticised President Ruto's remarks in his New Year’s message that every freedom has its limits and that public safety and order must always supersede the desire for unchecked liberty.
“KHRC reminds him that freedom of opinion and expression, which his regime and its supporters are hell-bent on curtailing, is the cornerstone of every free and democratic society. Any limitation on freedom of expression and opinion must be done lawfully,” it said.
Currently, the arbitrary arrests, abductions, forced disappearances, torture, threats to life and killings witnessed in the country can never be justifiable as a response to alleged breaches of the law in Kenya, the lobby said.
The Commission also said that it is documenting all the public utterances made by the leaders supporting the breakdown of the rule of law in the country adding that at the right time, they will all be held accountable.
“The KHRC demands the immediate release of Ichung’wah, Kingi, Kamket, Sudi, Murkomen, Waluke, and DP Kindiki from their state offices over their utterances supporting abductions. The KHRC also calls for an impartial and thorough investigation into their statements and potential involvement in the abductions and extrajudicial killings of state critics,” the statement said.
