YVONNE'S TAKE: The bizarre arrest of Kizza Besigye in Kenya raises weighty questions

The arrest of Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye in Kenya over the weekend is both bizarre and baffling. A man who went missing in Nairobi only to emerge detained in a military facility in Uganda.

As usual, the explanations read like fiction. First, it is termed as a "regrettable" incident for someone who is a frequent visitor to the country.

Further, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that because he did not inform them of his visit, they were unable to give him additional security, adding that it was not the act of the Kenyan government’s security officials.

Folks, let’s not kid each other. It is not possible for agents to cross into the country, take an individual, and exit the country’s borders without the knowledge of the local authorities. The only exception would be during times of war or hostilities.

It is simply not possible to pick people within a sovereign territory like apples from a tree. This leaves us with only one possibility: the Kenyan authorities must have known about this action.

I would rather rely on this, because the alternative is far worse—that a sovereign republic can have foreign individuals wandering about in our country and doing as they please without our knowledge.

Unfortunately, some of the narratives provided by the authorities are not even fit for nursery rhymes. Intelligence is not exactly a preserve of the state. Let’s take a look at the charge sheet. Besigye is accused of being in illegal possession of eight rounds of pistol ammunition, ordinarily the preserve of the Ugandan military, while here in Kenya.

So, you want to tell me that Ugandan security officials had knowledge that Kizza Besigye was walking around in Nairobi, particularly in the Riverside area, dangerously armed? Not only were they aware of this, but they also trailed him, arrested him in the country, and transported him across the border only to be presented before a Ugandan military court?

All of this without the Kenyan government knowing what the Ugandan sleuths were up to? Wow, so what else are they doing in this country that we are not aware of? In fact, might there be any other foreign security officials, or even mercenaries for that matter, wandering about here like children in a plantation looking to pick guavas to eat?

Further, assuming this information may have some merit, isn’t this a Kenyan territorial issue? A dangerously armed man is in the country, isn’t that a matter for us to deal with? To be specific, seeing as he was supposedly found somewhere around Riverside, shouldn’t that be a matter for the Kilimani police division to deal with?

I imagine it would be the Kilimani Division police officers to conduct the investigation and the arrest, present him in a Kenyan court, and then inform Uganda that they are holding their national.

Folks, this whole incident smells off. This is because this is not the first incident of this nature that we have witnessed in the country. Exactly one month ago, the Kenyan government abandoned the principle of non-refoulement when four Turkish nationals were abducted and deported back to their country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says this was at the request of the Turkish government, for the four individuals who had been recognized by the UN as refugees. To boot, Kenya adopted a Pontius Pilate stance, saying they did not want to get involved in the affairs of another country. Ethiopian national Samsom Teklamichael was abducted and has been missing for three years now.

Don’t forget that in August 2022, Pakistani journalist Arshad Shariff fled his country, sought refuge in Kenya following death threats over his reporting on corruption. How wrong he was. He was shot and killed in Kajiado County.

These incidents do not bode well for Kenya’s territorial integrity. They erode our standing in the eyes of the international community. All of this, even as Kenyans themselves get abducted within their own country. If we are not careful, Kenya could soon be known as the abduction capital.