Human Rights Watch Claims Operations Support Unit (OSU) is Behind Abductions

DCI officers during a sting operation at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in June 2021.
DCI officers during a sting operation at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in June 2019.
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DCI

Human Rights Watch Africa has exposed a special government security agency reportedly behind the spate of abductions recently witnessed in the country.

During the launch of its 35th Edition of the World Report, the lobby group attributed the surging cases of abductions in Kenya to a special security unit dubbed the Operations Support Unit (OSU).

According to the activists, the special unit was synonymous with the formerly disbanded Special Squad Unit (SSU) which was functional during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime.

Addressing the delegation, the Human Rights Watch Africa Director Otsieno Namwaya alleged that the OSU operated from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices in Nairobi.

DCI
DCI Headquarters, Kiambu Road, Nairobi.
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DCI

“Ruto disbanded the Special Squad Unit (SSU), he re-established a similar unit within the DCI  called the Operations Support Unit (OSU) and it is the one that replaced the SSU,” claimed Namwaya.

The human rights group further revealed that recently, 83 Kenyans have been abducted, with 26 still missing. The group further expressed concerns over the erosion of the rule of law in Kenya.

While taking a wipe at President William Ruto’s administration, the human rights defenders further accused the government of abducting foreign nationals who sought refuge in the country.

In particular, the lobby group cited the case of Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi, terming the recent trend a troubling pattern of cross-border collaboration between government institutions.

“What happened with Maria Sarungi here in Kenya is very instructive for me, the fact that she was able to get the information out quickly that an abduction had happened was very critical,” said Mausi Segun, an executive member of the group.

"People who are prosecuted, people who are fleeing repression and situations that are bad in their country must have a place of refuge, there must be a haven for them," she added.

The activists further cited the case of Kizza Besyge who was allegedly abducted in Kenya on November 20, last year under unclear circumstances and taken to the Ugandan martial court to face charges.

Also highlighted in the delegation meeting was the deportation of four Turkish nationals who were arrested in Kenya in November last year before they were forcefully taken back to their country. According to the activists, such cases destroyed the country's reputation as a safe space.

A collage of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye and a wide-angled picture of Nairobi, Wednesday, November 20.
A collage of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye and a wide-angled picture of Nairobi, Wednesday, November 20.
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Canva, Courtesy
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