‘Abductees Were Given Money, Ordered Not To Speak!’ – KHRC Tells Court
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), those abducted in December 2024 were given between Ksh.2,000 and Ksh.3,000 by their abductors and instructed not to speak about their ordeal.
The money was purportedly intended to help them return home after they were abandoned in unknown regions.
In an attempt to hold the state liable for the abductions, the commission’s lawyer argued that those abducted were tortured.
“The petitioners were stripped naked for several days, shaved, and physically assaulted,” the court was told.
PRESS STATEMENT
— KNCHR (@HakiKNCHR) January 24, 2025
An Urgent Call to Restore Human Rights and Security in Kenya🇰🇪@HakiKNCHR is gravely concerned about the escalating human rights violations across various parts of the country. These incidents, which range from enforced disappearances to targeted intimidation of… pic.twitter.com/B6PXVxkH2P
The commission appeared before Justice Bahati Mwamuye, arguing that the state was to blame for the abductions and that the National Police Service (NPS) should be held accountable.
Meanwhile, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), along with the Katiba Institute and other petitioners, are urging the state to locate additional missing people, whether dead or alive.
“The duty bearers have failed to produce the two in court, and the only way is for them to be held accountable because they have access to public resources and cannot claim they do not know their whereabouts,” LSK President Faith Odhiambo told the court.
Lawyer Dudley Ochiel stated that the two missing individuals have been missing for more than a month.
“The respondents are in contempt of court; they have refused to release the two and have not complied with court orders,” the court was informed.
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Several video footage were revealed in court during the mention to demonstrate how the abductions took place.
As an organization, we are deeply alarmed by reports of the government using electricity tokens and mobile networks as tools for surveillance and the abduction of government critics and human rights defenders. pic.twitter.com/GXAcz1qtCL
— Amnesty Kenya (@AmnestyKenya) January 27, 2025
Lawyer Martha Karua stated that abductions had become an epidemic in the country.
One of the recordings showed President William Ruto promising that his government would cease abductions, while another showed plainclothes agents arresting Amnesty International Director Hughton Irungu.
“This is a case where we must show a pattern and demonstrate that the state has knowledge of the situation from the top,” Karua said.
‘Abductees Were Given Money, Ordered Not To Speak!’ – KHRC Tells Court
