YVONNES TAKE: Just who does Gilbert Masengeli think he is?

On my Take tonight, many law-abiding Kenyans - and that is the majority - that believe in the Constitution and the rule of law, would have one question to ask Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli. And that question is, who do you think you are? Here is the context.

Gilbert Masengeli, has for the 5th time today ignored court summons. And I mean court summons, actually the High Court. Not some elders baraza, but a court of law whose mandate happens to be safeguarding the Constitution. He’s ignored the court on 5 ocassions. A habeas corpus court order on the 26th of August to produce three abducted persons, two court summons on the 3rd of September, and another two today.

For those in power, you may find it OK to pay lip service to the rule of law, but pause for a moment and think just what would happen if everyone followed suit. It is false to believe that anyone has a monopoly for anarchy. You disobey and you teach disobedience. So, defiance breeds defiance. So, to Masengeli, you are on to a perfect script in top-down distribution of disorder.

The same lip service is seen in how casually the authorities are dealing with this issue of disappearances. The quality of denials is wanting. Because even the pronouncements from the President are hollow in care and empty in due diligence. It is as if these are mere statistics or perhaps fictional statistics.

Mr. President, you claimed that you have not been furnished with the information of those who have been abducted. Efforts by organisations such as Vocal Africa to present this information to you and your office have been futile. So, Mr. President, allow me to offer you the real statistics about real people, real Kenyan citizens who are currently missing and are believed to be victims of State-driven abductions. They are:

Bob Njagi, Jamil Longton, Aslam Longton, Gideon Muli; all taken from Kitengela on the 19th of August. Purity Njeri, missing since the 11th of July. Emmanuel Kamau went missing in Nairobi’s CBD on the 25th of June, Lilian Moseti went missing from Ruiru. Kirui Chebet, Jombatech Mattos last seen in Baringo. Owino Evance Onyiego also missing, last seen in Kitengela. Joseph Otieno is also missing and was last seen around Parliament. Emmanuel Kamau Mukuria last seen in the CBD on the 9th of July. Peter Macharia, missing, last seen around Ngong Road Jamhuri area. Mr. President, these are real people, whose families are in agony tonight, with absolutely no idea where their loved ones are, or how they are doing.

Mr. President, you asked for the names, now you have them. You can longer claim ignorance. What are you going to do about it?

And back to you Acting Inspector General Masengeli, are the police really going to be the beginning of the downfall of our Constitution? Police defy the Constitution on the streets, they defy the Constitution in the courts. And after ignoring the 5th court order and with the chance of a 6th on Monday, every Kenyan that believes in the rule of law and constitutional order, is in the wake of your persistent defiance of court summons, asking a simple question, who do you think you are?