Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Tuesday called on President William Ruto to order the immediate release of all missing persons believed to have been abducted by government agencies.
He said the best Christmas and New Year message the President can give the nation is to order an immediate end to abductions and unconditional release of all those secretly detained by police as victims of this infamy.
President Ruto and First Lady Rachel deliver Christmas message to Kenyans
Mr Gachagua said the President should ease the anxiety and anguish of the families of the missing persons by committing to reunite them with their loved ones this festive season.
"Mr President, please... you swore to defend the constitution and be the ultimate guardian of the security of Kenyans. It is painful to hear your government denying that they are abducting people when the evidence is everywhere. Make a Christmas order that all the abducted people who are lucky to be alive are released," Mr Gachagua exclusively told Nation.Africa .
Mr Gachagua said: "It is sad that a government is competing with its citizens in discussing abductions as if this is a failed state. Kenyans and leaders of goodwill are saying their relatives are being abducted by suspected police officers but the government, through its chief executive, is coming out to dismiss it as lies".
"If we really are a country of the rule of law, we can argue that the president is being honest when he says that his government is not responsible for the kidnappings. But on the other hand, there are abductions going on and the buck stops with the president. So Mr President, who is abducting our children?" he asked.
This came as the Law Society of Kenya, through its president, Ms Faith Odhiambo, demanded the immediate release of influencers allegedly abducted for criticising President Ruto's government.
"Despite police denials, Kenya has seen a worrying rise in abductions in recent months, with many linking the increase to the aftermath of the Gen Z-led protests earlier this year," she said.
The LSK cited the alleged abductions of Billy Mwangi and Peter Muteti, who were allegedly abducted over the weekend after being accused of posting controversial tweets about President Ruto.
Mr Muteti, 22, was reportedly abducted by four armed men, one of whom was wearing a police uniform, at around 9 a.m. Witnesses claimed that two armed men forced him into a vehicle which sped away. Before his disappearance, Mr Mutet allegedly posted an offensive picture of President Ruto on his social media page, which he later deleted.
Mr Mwangi was allegedly abducted from a barber shop in Embu County by four masked men in a double-cab pickup truck. Witnesses described the men as armed and dressed like police officers.
“We call for the immediate, unconditional release of Billy Mwangi and Peter Muteti, or that they be presented before court to answer to whatever alleged charges on account of which they are being held. These abductions are contrary to the law,” Odhiambo said.
Ms Odhiambo criticised the abductions as a violation of civil rights and described them as part of a growing trend of repressive tactics by the government.
She urged the authorities to uphold the sanctity of inalienable rights as enshrined in the country's constitution through the Bill of Rights.
"All arrested persons should be subjected to the due process as per our statutes. We cannot have shortcuts when it comes to the justice system," she said.
The abductions came after Gen Z staged a month-long protest against the Finance Bill 2024 starting June 25, 2024, leading to President Ruto dropping the Bill, dissolving his cabinet and eventually forming a broad-based cabinet before impeaching Mr Gachagua.
President Ruto had dismissed the protesters as treasonous criminals while his loyalists attempted to link Mr Gachagua to the protests.
Since then, human rights organisations have been calling for transparency and accountability, warning that abductions and other undercover operations and related programmes undermine the rule of law and public confidence in the security services.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has on several occasions backed President Ruto's denials of abductions.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on National Administration and Internal Security on November 7, Kanja said that none of the reported abductions since June were carried out by law enforcement officers.
“As a police service, we are not in the business of kidnapping or abducting. We arrest and detain individuals in gazetted police stations and forward the cases to the courts if there is evidence of wrongdoing,” Kanja stated.
Kanja disclosed that of the 57 disappearance cases reported since June, 22 individuals have been found alive, two were found dead, while 29 remained missing.
On Tuesday, Kirinyaga woman rep Njeri Mwangi said she had received more than 100 calls since Monday from relatives of abducted Kenyans from the Mount Kenya region.
"These are calls from distraught relatives who have called me more than 100 times urging me to petition the judiciary to order the security agents to release abducted relatives," she said.
She said there was already a perception in the open court that the government was cracking down on dissent through enforced disappearances.
"Arrest people and charge them so we can meet in court. Stop abducting young people for having an opinion. Kenyans must unite against this culture of punishing dissent through the terror of abduction," she said.
