Resign or tell us where abductees are, Omtatah tells police, DCI bosses
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah (centre) speaks to journalists at his office in Upper Hill, Nairobi on December 26, 2024 about the increasing cases of abductions of young people in the country.
What you need to know:
- The senator also expressed disbelief at the police's failure to act on the abductions.
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has called for the immediate resignation of the Inspector-General of Police, Douglas Kanja, and the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, following the recent resurgence of abductions.
Mr Omtatah was speaking in the wake of the kidnapping of cartoonist Gideon Kibet aka Kibet Bull, who was abducted a few hours after leaving the senator's office.
“I demand that Mr Mohamed Amin and Mr Douglas Kanja to come clean on the abduction, and unconditionally release Mr Kibet immediately. They must also address the cases of Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, and Bernard Kavuli, who were abducted under their watch with State complicity. If they fail to do so, they should resign immediately for their incompetence in protecting Kenyans from enforced disappearances—grave violations of the rule of law that have no place in modern Kenya,” Mr Omtatah told a press conference in Nairobi.
The senator also expressed disbelief at the police's failure to act on the abductions, questioning why a vehicle was seen idling outside his office for hours without intervention.
“The police cannot claim ignorance about what is happening in Kenya. If they are unaware, why are they in office? In a serious country, the police commissioner would never make such a statement; they would resign. Security forces hold the monopoly on ensuring our safety, and our security rests in their hands. Article 238 of the Constitution clearly outlines their mandate as security agencies, leaving no room for excuses,” he said.
Mr Omtatah said Kibet was abducted after leaving his office on December 24, 2024. The senator recalls seeing Subaru vehicles outside his office on the said date when he met Kibet among other people interested in his presidential plans.
“I believe he was abducted by DCI officers. As soon as he arrived at my office, my security detail told me they were monitoring a Subaru that was mounted with spy gadgets used to intercept communications. It was parked across the road from my office. It stayed at that location and left after Mr Kibet left,” the senator told journalists.
Senator Omtatah also revealed that Kibet had been in contact with him shortly before his disappearance, sharing plans to travel to Tel Aviv for studies. However, Kibet did not mention any concerns for his safety or the fact that his brother was missing at the time.
“Mr Kibet visited my office on Tuesday between 11am and 4pm. He came to introduce himself to me and to explore how he could join my team, before his scheduled travel on Friday, December 27, 2024, to Israel to join Tel Aviv University, for further studies,” he said.
The senator alleged that state agencies were monitoring and targeting people associated with him. He cited an incident where a vehicle was parked outside his office for hours, allegedly to track his movements.
Mr Omtatah details that after the meeting, his team took Kibet to Kencom bus station where he was to board a bus to Kikuyu.
“This is unacceptable. It’s clear there’s a deliberate effort to intimidate and silence dissent. I strongly believe that Mr. Kibet was tracked and abducted by officers from the DCI because, as soon as he arrived at my office, members of my security detail informed me that they were monitoring a white Subaru Forester vehicle, which was mounted with suspected FlexiSpy communication gadgets used to intercept phone communications,” he said.
“This is the second person who is abducted after leaving my office and I feel like they are sending a message to me. The first person to be abducted after leaving my office was Bob Njagi.”
Senator Omtatah outlined a multi-pronged strategy.
He announced plans to file a habeas corpus application to force the authorities to produce the abductees in court. In addition, his team intends to search police stations and detention centres to locate the missing.
“We plan to initiate a search at various police stations. Our aim is to work within the law while mobilising people to check if those missing are in police custody or have been brought to these stations. This includes reviewing records, inspecting the sale registers, and verifying the booking details of anyone held at these locations,” he said.
He also hinted at growing international pressure, calling on Kenya's global partners to address the issue of governance and human rights abuses.
“We cannot allow a rogue government to undermine the progress we’ve made since the 2010 Constitution. We will expose these injustices and demand good governance. If necessary, we will mobilise the masses to ensure accountability,” he said.
