YVONNE’S TAKE: We're back to the dark era of enforced disappearances and abductions

Folks, we are back to the dark era. The dark era of abductions and arbitrary arrests. When people are disappeared, missing, taken, kidnapped, abducted. And I am not sure it is by thugs. In some cases, the trail leads right to security officials.

And, Yes, let’s not debate this term, those are abductions. Because folks, there is a proper procedure to how arrests are and should be done, we all know it. What we have here with masked men, in plain clothing who don’t identify themselves and grab people, in the dead of night or in plain daylight is just pure thuggery.

And it is that thuggery that we seem to have normalised. In 2024, 14 years after the promulgation of the Constitution. Political dissent, difference of opinion, the right to gather peacefully is something the powers that be seem quite uncomfortable with.
In a period of just two months, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has recorded over 60 abductions and a record 682 arbitrary arrests. Those numbers represent families and loved ones with great pain and anguish. The incidents are as bizarre and unacceptable as one would imagine.

Take for instance Joseph Mwangi, a young 28-year-old who was abducted during the protests, blindfolded and driven to an unknown location. His family searched and searched for him for days, well beyond the 24-hour requirement to produce an arrested person in court. He was found one month later. One month later! After being transferred between multiple stations.

And who can forget veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho, who was abducted, at, of all places, a police station. Pray tell, when they roughly bundled him into a car, within the precincts of a police station, where were they taking him to? I mean, aren’t suspects usually taken to a police station rather than away from one? And pray tell, when in danger, don’t you run to a police station for refuge? Only to get abducted in one?

Folks, isn’t it interesting how people are abducted and found at police stations. I mean, are we to believe that these are thugs who abduct people but then take them to a police station? Isn’t that curious? But yet, your security officials are much better at singing Shaggy’s ‘It wasn’t me’ than the singer himself.

DCI Director, in a meeting with the Kenya Editors Guild, said that the DCI is not involved in the rampant kidnappings we have witnessed in the country. So, how is it that people taken by masked men, are released from police stations? But it is what he said after that that is more shocking. Allow me to quote; “I wish I knew where the missing Kenyans are.”

The man in charge of keeping Kenyans safe, doesn’t know where missing Kenyans are. And he wishes he did. So, if he doesn’t know where they are, who should? I note that this statement was not followed by a promise to look into the kidnappings and find the missing and arrest the ones behind the kidnappings. But rather a helpless shrugging of the shoulders.

And this denial, or even worse, the silence of the police in the wake of the abductions is most worrying and rather curious. Folks, is it normal for us to wake up every day in this country to a hash tag on social media saying free so and so? Is it normal for us to be airing stories of missing persons, abducted on an almost daily basis? Jamil Longton Hashim, Aslam Longton, Bob Njagi. Where are they? Almost 2 weeks later. Are the police not the least bit concerned about their whereabouts? What of the court order to produce them in court?

Where is the effort to find them and others? How far is the investigation into finding them and dozens of others? How many witnesses have they spoken to? What leads are they chasing? Do we have any updates on this, other than their categorical denial that they are not themselves involved? And why is this such a normal occurrence in Kenya now?
So, the police aren’t behind it and they wish they knew where they were. So now? Tufanyeje sasa?

And just today, Mr. President, you made this promise, "under my administration, I do not want a situation where a Kenyan disappears." You further said; "I want to promise the people of Kenya that under my administration, there will be no Kenyans in River Yala or any other place."

Well, Mr. President, we have Kware now. And there are families tonight, who are missing their loved ones.