Former Defence Cabinet Secretary and Democratic Action Party Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa has condemned the ongoing wave of abductions in the country and called for immediate accountability from the police.
In a statement shared via his X account on Thursday, December 26, 2024, Wamalwa raised concerns about the safety of citizens and the role of law enforcement in addressing the worrying trend.
In a statement shared on his X account on Thursday, December 26, 2024, Wamalwa challenged the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to reveal the perpetrators behind the abductions.
The opposition leader questioned the commitment of the police force to ensuring public safety, drawing attention to the contradiction in their ability to deploy 1,000 officers to combat gang violence in Haiti while failing to address similar issues at home.
“Denying police involvement in ongoing abductions is not enough,” Wamalwa stated. “IG of police should tell us who is abducting Kenyans if it’s not the police and what he’s doing to end these abductions. If you can send 1,000 officers to Haiti to stop gangs from abducting and killing Haitians, why can’t you do the same at home?”
Wamalwa’s comments come after the disappearance of Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, and Bernard Kavuli, three individuals who were abducted after sharing AI-generated images criticizing President William Ruto.
Police deny involvement
Responding to the allegations, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja denied any involvement by the police in the abductions.
Kanja emphasized that the mandate of the National Police Service is to arrest offenders, not abduct individuals.
“The National Police Service is deeply concerned with the ongoing allegations that police officers are involved in abductions of persons in Kenya. For clarity, the constitutional mandate of the National Police Service is not to abduct, but to arrest criminal offenders,” Kanja said.
He further clarified that no police station in the country was detaining the missing individuals and urged the public to avoid spreading false information that could harm the police force’s reputation.
“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,” Kanja added.
Public outcry
The denial by the police has done little to quell public fears, with many citizens demanding the release of the social media users.
Mwangi was abducted in Embu County on Saturday, December 21, 2024 afternoon by four armed, masked men who stormed a barber shop and forced him into a pickup truck. His family suspects the incident is linked to an AI-generated image of President Ruto he shared online.
Similarly, 22-year-old activist Peter Muteti was kidnapped in Uthiru, Nairobi, after posting a similar AI image on X. On Sunday, 24-year-old Benard Kavuli was abducted at a Ngong petrol station, reportedly over his online criticism of the government and posts about the 2007 post-election violence.
By People Daily