Ijara MP Abdi Ali on Wednesday raised the red flag over the disappearance of three prominent Garissa businessmen who he said were kidnapped in broad daylight.
Speaking on the floor of the house, the MP said the three businessmen; Mohamed Ali, Ahmed Abdi Ahmed and Abdi Jibril Dagane were abducted in different parts of Garissa while going about their daily activities.
In the first instance, the MP revealed that the first businessman— Mohamed Ali— was abducted by unknown persons on September 15 while herding his cattle in Boni Forest.
One week later, Ahmed Abdi Ahmed was abducted from his house in Bula Gora Village in Ijara, Garissa County.
The lawmaker further revealed that the third businessman — Abdi Jibril Dagane— was abducted while grazing his cattle in Garissa.
"The three are persons of high stature within the community. Being renowned businessmen and herders. Efforts to trace their whereabouts have not borne any fruits and their families believe that the 3 were abducted by alleged security agents," the MP said during the session.
The MP called on the national government, specifically the Ministry of Interior and the Inspector General of Police to immediately commence investigations into the matter to ensure that the businessmen are located and reunited with their families.
During the session, the MP's sentiments were echoed by Garissa Township MP Mohamed Dekow Barrow who questioned why the Kenya Kwanza government has not kept its promise of stamping out the recurring issue of abductions and disappearances in North Eastern Kenya.
"The President was very clear on this issue during the campaigns. The issue of extrajudicial killings and abduction of people from their homes and houses. The pain that these families have felt over the years is still heavy. We were promised this will stop but it seems the issue is coming back again," Barrow said.
"Maybe members from other parts of the country don't appreciate the magnitude given by the member for Ijara. This issue is very rampant in our area. We are facing a very difficult situation where we are targets for Al Shabaab who are terrorising our communities," he added.
The issue of kidnappings in North Eastern Kenya is a perennial problem. Locals have over the years accused security agencies of being behind the abductions.
Notably, during his vetting after his nomination as the Kenyan Ambassador to Malaysia in August 2018, former Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director General Ndegwa Muhoro faced hostility from North Eastern lawmakers who accused him of presiding over disappearances in the region.
Meanwhile, research by the National Crime Research Centre also shows that kidnappings in the North Eastern region are prevalent.
"Terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab have kidnapped people in the North Eastern and Coastal regions of Kenya as an act of revenge attacks against the Kenyan government for her military campaign inside Somalia," reads a report published by the agency.
