Police boss to Kenyans: We don’t know who the abductors are

The mystery surrounding the escalating cases of kidnapping in the country deepened on December 26, 2024, when the National Police Service (NPS) denied involvement for the umpteenth time.

As the number of missing persons reportedly abducted by people with all the trappings of armed, trained personnel, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Douglas Kanja, said his men were not involved.

But a cross-section of politicians and clergy are not convinced and are calling on the government to come clean on the matter.

Embakasi East MP Mr Babu Owino told Nation.Africa on Thursday 19 December that "this government is running a secret abduction unit and the entire government and its collaborators are aware of it but are too scared to speak out, rest they have fallen victim to the terror squad".

He said, "The kidnap squad is an integral part of the government today and its job is to deal with government dissidents".

On 26 June, then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua - who was impeached on 17 October 2024 - claimed that the National Intelligence Agency was behind the abductions, adding that the son of an Attorney General had fallen victim. The Attorney General had been abducted on the night of June 25.

President William Ruto had warned on June 26 that the country was in danger of being taken over by treasonous criminals whom he had vowed to arrest and prosecute.

Two MPs - James Gakuya (Embakasi North) and Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central) - who claim to have been victims of attempted abductions, insist that the attackers are police officers, mostly travelling in unmarked vehicles.

"We were almost kidnapped in Kenol town in October... The DCI kidnappers took advantage of a traffic jam to try and snatch us from our vehicles. Members of the public foiled the attempt," Mr Gakuya told Nation.Africa.

DCI Director Mohamed Amin has since refuted claims that his men were behind the abductions, urging Kenyans to distinguish between lawful arrests and the crime of kidnapping.

This came as the government was reminded that there have been bold and public statements hinting at who is behind the abductions.

"We have bold statements by known politicians saying they could have shot 50,000 Gen Z protesters (who were protesting against the 2024 Finance Bill and ended up breaking into the National Assembly)," said Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa on December 26, 2024.

He added that "we have on record a Cabinet Secretary by the name of Hasan Joho publicly threatening President Ruto to go after netizens who post graphics of prominent leaders in coffins".

Mr Thang'wa said, "There's no crime in deducing from the facts available that the government knows which department under its control is driving these abductions".
 
But Mr Kanja said: "The National Police Service is deeply concerned by the ongoing allegations that police officers are involved in the abduction of persons in Kenya... the constitutional mandate of the National Police Service is not to abduct but to arrest criminals.

However, he did not clarify whether the more than 70 cases of reported abductions, eight of them in the last four days, were arrested if not abducted.

"The procedure as per the Service Standing Orders informs that all arrests be recorded in the Occurrence Book for subsequent arraignment in court of law, otherwise, the suspects be released from Police custody if they fail to meet the procedural threshold," he said.

Mr Kanja appearing to acknowledge there are indeed victims of abductions said "For the avoidance of doubt, the NPS is not involved in any abduction, and there is no police station in the Country that is holding the reported abductees".

Mr Kanja also cryptically hinted at why the abductions are taking place when he added a rider to his statement saying: "Whereas Kenya is a democratic country that guarantees freedom of expression, freedom not only comes with certain limitations but should at all times be exercised with utmost responsibility".

Those reportedly abducted are mostly from the Gen Z netizens who have been vocal in their opposition to President Ruto's government. 

Mr Kanja called upon such online groupings and the larger public "to therefore refrain from spreading false, fabricated, malicious, distasteful, misinformed and unverified information aimed at tarnishing the reputation and image of the government".

Interestingly, Mr Kanja went on to reveal that the abductions are being investigated by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and other independent bodies. 

The IPOA is a constitutionally established body that investigates police excesses.  

"We appeal to anybody with relevant information about any missing person to report to the nearest police station as I reiterate our commitment to serve and protect all persons," Mr Kanja said.

Anglican Church boss, Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit in his Christmas Day message urged President Ruto's government to mind against taking the country back into the forgotten days of ruthless crackdowns against dissenters. 

"Abductions cannot be accepted as a way to contain dissenting opinion. This is a country of fair justice provided for by the rule of law...we cannot have abductions as a way of life. That is a rule of darkness, not of the light," he said.

Presidential aspirant and Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah on Christmas Day urged President Ruto's government to stop the primitiveness of the abductions.

He urged Mr Kanja to take urgent steps to stop the worrying trend of abductions across the country.

This came after ODM leader Raila Odinga had earlier called for a total stop to the use of abductions as a tool of governance to deal with dissent against the state.

Mr Odinga's stance came a day after Mr Gachagua called on President William Ruto to issue an executive order demanding an end to the abductions.

"Mr President, please...you swore to defend the constitution and be the overall custodian of Kenyans safety. It pains to hear your government deny that it is abducting people yet evidence is all over. Make a Christmas order that all the abducted people lucky to be alive be freed," Mr Gachagua exclusively told Nation.Africa.

Mr Gachagua said, "Ever since the President in his June 26, 2024 address dismissed Gen Z protests that had been launched a day earlier as the work of treasonous criminals who will be pursued, these abductions started".

He added that senior government officials including Cabinet Secretaries have publicly threatened the youth with abductions "hence why our assumption that the government is the one behind the abductions is not farfetched".

Mr Gachagua said, "Since the President in his speech on June 26, 2024, dismissed the Gen Z protests that started a day earlier as the work of treasonous criminals who will be prosecuted, these abductions have started".

He added that senior government officials, including cabinet secretaries, had publicly threatened the youth with abductions, "so our assumption that the government is behind the abductions is not far-fetched".

Mr Omtatah said on Thursday that "if the government wants us to believe that it is not the one abducting Kenyans, then it should arrest and parade the quarters doing it or provide evidence that those claiming to be victims are faking it".

Nyandarua Senator John Methu said, "We cannot have it both ways where the government saying there are no abductions and Kenyans are armed with CCTV footage showing that abductions are indeed taking place".

Mr Methu urged President Ruto to recognise the seriousness of the incidents, especially in the light of global human rights principles.

"We have abductions in Kenya, being executed by bold and unassuming characters who carry all the trappings of power and many families are in distress. Mr President, it is your government suffering the shame. Make an order to stop this madness," he said.

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