National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has called out the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, and the Director of Criminal Investigations, Amin Mohammed, over the rising spate of abductions.
Wetangula called out the two over the National Police Service’s (NPS) denial of the ongoing abductions in the country. His remarks come just a day after two men who were allegedly forcefully taken by police in December last year were found dead.
The Speaker, who has been silent over the issue, said the current situation of police disowning abductions is "unacceptable," terming it retrogressive and returning the country to the dark era of killings and forced disappearances.
While speaking in Khuisero in Kakamega County on Friday, January 31, Wetangula broke rank with most of President Willaim Ruto’s allies, criticising the top police bosses. The two police chiefs told a Nairobi court on Thursday that the police did not arrest any of the missing four Mlolongo men. They added they did not have them in custody.
Two of the four, Justus Mutumwa and Martin Mwau, were discovered at the City Mortuary, raising questions over their deaths.
“The police say they are not the ones doing it. We want them to investigate and tell Kenyans who are these criminal elements in our midst, who are unlawfully arresting people, causing their disappearance, and eventually they are found dead,” Wetangula demanded.
Wetangula, among the highest-ranking members of the Kenya Kwanza coalition, insisted that the government is one to obey and follow the law. However, human rights groups hold a different view.
According to a State of National Security report presented to Parliament, there were 52 reported kidnapping cases between September 2023 and August 2024, marking a 44 per cent rise from the 36 cases recorded in the previous year.
However, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported 82 abduction cases since June 2024, with 29 individuals still missing as of December.
This includes the son of Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, Leslie Muturi. The CS has since become very vocal against the government’s handling of the abductions, asking for accountability.
Today, CS Muturi called out President Ruto, this is despite growing calls for his resignation. "I'm not aware of any policy that supports abductions," Muturi said.
"Abductions have been happening, and we are trying to normalise it. Surely, it cannot be business as usual."
On Thursday, the bodies of two of the four men allegedly abducted from Mlolongo, Machakos County—Justus Mutumwa and Martin Mwau were found at the City Mortuary.
Mutumwa and Mwau, along with Karani Mwema and Stephen Mbisi Kavingo, went missing on December 16 and 17, 2024. The four were reportedly taken by masked individuals believed to be police officers.
