A lobby group has called for the resignation of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director-General Noordin Haji over recent spate of abductions and enforced disappearances in the country.
Justice Alliance, through its convener Kennedy Omulo, on Tuesday said it is unfortunate for the NIS to be linked to the abduction of Leslie Muturi as alleged by the victim’s father, who is also the Public Service and Human Capital Development Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi.
Further, Mr Omulo called on the Inspector-General of Police (IG) Douglas Kanja to institute a radical surgery of the police service and “disband all these secret units that existed before his appointment, and create policies that align with modern police best practice”.
The civil society organisation questioned the role of NIS in the abduction of perceived government critics yet the responsibility of protecting the lives of Kenyans and their property, as well as effecting arrests when necessary, is vested in the National Police Service.
“With the revelation of CS Muturi, we now have a hint on who and what State body has been abducting our youth. We therefore call for the immediate resignation of the NIS DG Haji and ask the relevant authorities to investigate him and establish what role he played in the cases of abduction,” Omulo said.
Justice Alliance members led by Kennedy Omulo (centre) addressing journalists at Boulevard hotel in Nairobi on January 15,2025.
Photo credit: Evans Habil /Nation Media Group
Instead of having Mr Kanja appear in court to answer for the abduction cases, the group said it would only be fair for the prosecution to file for a mistrial, and instead open fresh charges against the NIS boss.
“That Mr Kanja confesses lack of knowledge of the real perpetrators points to a scheme hatched way above his paygrade, in connivance with his equally powerful juniors, all in a bid to create chaos, paint him and the entire police service as criminals operating outside the law,” he said.
On his part, Robert Kiberenge, a member of the lobby, called on IG Kanja to ensure that all police officers put on their uniforms and move in government vehicles so as to assuage Kenyans of the fear of being abducted by criminals in civilian clothing masquerading as police officers.
“The IG should work under the Constitution and not at the behest of some political forces and utilise his autonomy to deal with the staff of other security agencies who are harassing and abducting Kenyans,” he said.
For Supeyo Semenkur, the increase in cases of abductions in the country serves nothing but to claw back on the gains made by the 2010 Constitution which forbids the illegal holding of persons without trial.
He then urged President William Ruto to live true to his promise of ensuring no single Kenyan would be kidnapped or held incommunicado under his watch as the Head of State.
The calls for the resignation of NIS boss come a day after CS Muturi, in a police statement, said that his son was abducted by NIS officials and only set free when President Ruto made a call to Mr Haji ordering for his release.
State-funded human rights agency, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, has said about 82 Kenyans, including Mr Muturi’s son Leslie Muturi, had been abducted since June 2024, with more than 20 still missing.
Five of those abducted in late December were released last week, most of them having been linked to anti-government social media talk before then.
