NARC-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua has accused President William Ruto of endorsing a disturbing trend of abductions occurring across the country.
In an interview on Spice FM, Karua asserted that the Kenya Kwanza administration is increasingly targeting individuals who voice dissenting opinions, marking a concerning pattern of political repression.
Karua expressed her alarm over the treatment of those who go missing, noting that they often return days later, either alive or deceased.
“It is clear that those in power are aware of these abductions, and I believe President Ruto himself is complicit.
This has become their modus operandi, and it’s not just a few isolated incidents many people are disappearing, potentially hundreds,” she stated.
She cited the recent arrest of activist Boniface Mwangi, who was forcibly taken from his home in Machakos County on Sunday morning and released the following day.
“The Ruto administration is engaged in a campaign of fear and intimidation, aimed at silencing dissenting voices.
Look at Boniface Mwangi; he simply encouraged people to join the Standard Chartered Marathon with the national flag. Is that incitement?” Karua questioned.
Karua emphasized that if someone has genuinely committed an offense, there is a legal process for questioning them.
However, she suggested that secretive abductions are indicative of a regime feeling threatened by those who challenge its authority.
“Social media has played a vital role in raising awareness about these abductions, leading to some individuals reappearing after being missing for days,” she noted.
Karua further alleged that President Ruto has effectively sidelined the constitution without formally announcing it.
“We cannot tolerate abductions by state agencies or police officers who refuse to identify themselves or disclose where they are taking individuals.
The only reason Boniface was brought to Kamukunji Police Station is that the media made his situation public.
If he was indeed being taken to a police station, why was that information not disclosed at the time of his abduction?” she asked.
Her comments come amid increasing criticism of the Kenyan police’s conduct during protests, particularly those involving the youth.
In July, Amnesty International reported significant violence during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests, noting 361 injuries, 627 arrests, and 32 abductions.
Amnesty emphasized that abductions and detentions are fundamentally different from lawful arrests, as many victims were not informed of any charges against them and were often held incommunicado without access to legal representation, family, or medical care.
In contrast, President Ruto has claimed ignorance regarding these abductions, stating, “As I speak to you today, I don’t have a single name of anyone who has been abducted or gone missing.
If you know of someone who disappeared after participating in protests, we want to know their name and the family should come forward.
We will address the situation,” he asserted during a town hall meeting in Kisumu on August 29, 2024.
