Kenyan kidnapping stokes fears of return to dark past

More than 80 government critics have reportedly disappeared in the past six months, sparking a public backlash in Kenya.

A judge has warned that he will jail senior security officials for contempt of court if they fail to appear in court for a third time to explain a recent series of alleged kidnappings.

The case is linked to disappearances documented by Kenya's National Human Rights Commission since nationwide protests against proposed tax hikes last June.

At least 24 people are said to be still missing.

Police and the government deny kidnapping and illegally detaining protesters, but the country has a history of state-sponsored kidnappings and some Kenyans fear they are returning to that dark past.

Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin were ordered to appear in court for seven social media influencers who went missing in December.

In early January, five people suddenly appeared again across the country.

Kanja's lawyers requested the court to give more time to record their statements and submit a report.

Billy Mwangi was one of the five. The 24-year-old was thrown 75 kilometers (46 miles) from his hometown of Embu in central Kenya by his alleged kidnappers in an apparent act of intimidation.

Billy's father, Gerald Mwangi Karicha, told the BBC his son was left traumatized.

“The boy didn't share much,” he said. “All I can say is that when he came, he was not his usual self. He looked shocked.”

Billy is a college student who has been an outspoken critic of the government on social media. Disappeared on December 21, 2024 from a barber shop in Embu.

According to witnesses, the masked men arrived in a Toyota Field Vehicle and a two-cab pick-up truck, put him into one of the vehicles and drove off.

Within hours, his family's worst fears began to unfold.

“We watch football together most weekends. His club is Chelsea; mine is Arsenal,” Gerrard said.

On the night of Billy's disappearance, he called to discuss a football game and discovered that his son's phone was turned off.

The barbershop owner later informed him of the kidnapping, triggering a frantic search.

Billy's mother was devastated when she heard the news, and the family spent the next few weeks in agony.

After Billy was discovered, he was immediately taken to the hospital for a routine check-up. His family said he was still recovering from the trauma, but his release brought them some relief.

Like many people who resurface after being accused of kidnapping, Billy rarely talks about his ordeal, perhaps out of fear.

Jamil Longton and Aslam Longton also remained silent after their release in September after 32 days in captivity.

Jameel said the brothers were warned they would be killed if they approached the media for help.

Three months later, a government official publicly called their case a legal arrest.

The siblings saw this as confirmation that government agencies were responsible for what they experienced and found the courage to speak out.

“The Kenyan constitution is very clear,” Jamil said. “You should be arrested and taken to court within 24 hours. Our time was 32 days. We never got a lawyer to represent us anywhere.

“We were not allowed to see or communicate with the family. So this is not an arrest, this is a kidnapping.”

The brothers told the BBC that Aslam had helped organize protests against tax increases in Kitengela, a town near the capital Nairobi, and was warned by security personnel to stop his actions.

One day in August, the two were taken to a car in front of their home, hooded and handcuffed, taken to an unknown place, and locked in a small, dark cell.

Aslam said he was regularly beaten, with his tormentors demanding to know who was funding the protests.

“I was very scared,” he said. “When the door opens, the man will come in with fiber optic cables and metal rods.

“I was afraid he was here to hit me or kill me – there were only two options to hit me or kill me.”

Jamil said the kidnappers were well-armed, able to track their cellphones and confident enough to capture them in broad daylight, with the same operational resources and flexibility human rights groups have reported in many cases.

But that does not mean they were official security personnel, and government spokesman Isaac Mwaura denied the state was behind the kidnappings.

“Organized security can also be part of organized crime,” he told the BBC.

“It could also be for political reasons…our political critics do criticize this issue. They're really just trying to settle political grudges.”

Mr Mwala declined to comment The case of Government Minister Justin Muturiis one of the most serious accusations leveled against Kenya's security apparatus.

Muturi said his son was arrested by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and was only released after he appealed directly to President William Ruto.

“This is a matter of investigation because this is his version of events,” Mr Mwala said. “But what is the NIA's counter-story?

“I want to make it clear that the President of the Republic of Kenya as head of government has not sanctioned any form of kidnapping because he is a man who believes in the rule of law.”

Indeed, Ruto has publicly pledged to stop kidnappings, forced to respond to public outrage and concerns from Western allies.

Many are distressed that the apparent systematic disappearance of anti-government activists has resurfaced in a way that recalls similar episodes under Daniel arap Moi's authoritarian leadership in the 1980s and 1990s. practice.

Gitobu Imanyara was a journalist and activist who worked on multi-party politics in the early 1990s before being arrested and beaten by Moi's regime. He has no doubt that he is now seeing “Moi's playbook” implemented.

But, he said, times have changed. The constitutional amendments create more accountability and “more people in Kenyan society will not be intimidated”.

He told the BBC: “The democratic space has expanded to such an extent that the government cannot hope to eliminate democratic voices of dissent.”

Combined with social media, “word spread almost immediately,” he said.

“We can't be scrutinized like we used to be when we only had landlines.”

Reports of the disappearances have tapered off in recent weeks.

But despite the announcement of a police investigation, no one has been charged, let alone convicted, in connection with its conduct.

Several advocacy groups have petitioned the justice minister to refer the kidnapping case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

For those family members who are still missing, the nightmare continues.

“We're very upset, very frustrated,” said Stacey Mutua, the sister of Steve Mbisi, one of seven people who disappeared in December.

“We hope they will release him. (Most) of the abductees have been released, but he is still missing. We pray he will be found.”