‘Heartless and uncaring politics’: Former CJ Maraga condemns abduction of gov't critics

Former Chief Justice David Maraga on Monday condemned the abduction of critics of President William Ruto’s government amid an increase in such cases in recent weeks.

In his New Year message to Kenyans, the country’s fourteenth Chief Justice said the “killing, maiming and abduction of young Kenyans” this year in the backdrop of citizens’ pushback against punitive government policies “has put to serious test our institutions.”

“It demands a moral response. If we are truly a people sworn to the sanctity of life and the dignity of every citizen, then we must stand bold in the truth of our Constitution,” Maraga said.

He added: “I condemn the killing, torture and abductions and call for the immediate release of the youth still held unlawfully. Our politics must never again be this heartless and uncaring.”

Maraga urged fidelity to the rule of law, saying the June-July anti-government protests against harsh tax regimes demonstrated the “new vision for transforming the country and nation” the 2010 Constitution brought.

“It was a desire to address the culture of impunity and confront the outright callousness and unresponsive attitudes to genuine issues of public concern,” the former CJ said, adding that the demos were sparked by “the erosion of basic dignity and economic mismanagement.”

Maraga praised Kenyans for “actively [taking] charge and [holding] our public institutions to account and [leading] the way in demanding accountability as enshrined in the Constitution, even as they faced the brute force of a regime's push-back.”

“Let us determine that 2025 is the year that these values become an inseparable part of us. It must also be the year of accountability for those who caused so much pain to Kenyans in 2024,” Maraga said.

“This must be the year that we stand firmly for constitutionalism, the rule of law and justice.”

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) last week said it had recorded 13 abduction cases in the last three months alone, bringing to 82 the total number of abductions it noted since June. Twenty-nine are missing since, it said.

Seven of the enforced disappearances were reported in December, KNCHR noted, even as state security agencies – including the police service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) – denied involvement in the abductions.

Over 60 people were killed in the June-July protests, per KNCHR, and the police force has absolved itself from blame for the fatalities amid criticism of its officers over the use of excessive force and opening of fire on unarmed protesters.

And while some of the youth who participated in the demos would go missing for days and later be released, some were found dead later.

In the recent wave of abductions, activists Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti Njeru and Bernard Kavuli, who shared cartoons and A.I.-generated images of President Ruto on social media, are among those reported missing.

President Ruto has previously denied there were abductions and even demanded names of those missing from families.

But last Friday, he vowed to end the abductions but told parents to “take care of [their children] and the government will do [its] part.”

“What has been said... abduction matters,” Ruto told a rally in Homa Bay County, “We will stop. So that Kenyan youth can live in peace and have discipline so that we can build Kenya together.”

Recently impeached deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, has repeatedly claimed a secret government unit is responsible for the abductions.