Kenya: CS Muturi Proposes Public Inquiry Into Recent Abductions

31 January 2025

Nairobi — Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has proposed a Public Commission of Inquiry into the root cause of recent spate of abductions saying the trend will plunge the country into 'chaos and anarchy'.

Muturi who was speaking at the city mortuary following the identification of two individuals among four who went missing in Mlolongo stated that the inquiry team should include stakeholders from all sectors.

"The buck must stop somewhere, in this case the President and the Commander in Chief, and therefore Mr President I am calling upon you now to order an end to these abductions and extrajudicial killings which you promised and an open inquiry to examine into how these things have been happening," he said.

Muturi urged President William Ruto not to turn a blind eye on the matter saying the increasing number of abductions and extrajudicial killings is alarming and ought to be addressed urgently.

"This is a very serious matter and it should anger the country. We are allowing young men and women to be kidnapped only later to be found dead. Surely, what country are we and we are pretending to be solving issues in DRC?" he posed.

"This is a serious issue, the number of people who have died are so many that it should prick the conscience of any right-thinking leader," he added.

The Public Service cabinet secretary who has recently become a vocal critic on the ongoing abductions insisted he will not be cowed in calling out the ills of the government which has caused anguish among affected Kenyans.

"I sit in government and am not aware of any policies that support abductions and extrajudicial killings. It is not right that parents can stay in excess of 40 days looking for their loved ones and we stay somewhere claiming that we are discussing economy for this country," Muturi noted.

The Former Attorney General opined that the commission of inquiry which will bring together the civil society groups, law society of Kenya, and religious institutions will deal with the issue to 'finality with a view of getting the root cause of the abductions.'

"We can't be told that the police don't know, our police is known to be the most efficient in this region. If they wanted to crack this matter and bring the accountable to book, it would be a matter of days or hours," Muturi stated.

"During campaigns we said abductions and extrajudicial killings will not happen under our watch but now it's happening, and we are trying to normalize it," he added.

Mlolongo 'four' incident

Yesterday,Martin Mwau, the second man who went missing from Mlolongo last month, has been positively identified by his family at the City Mortuary.

The discovery of Mwau's body came after that of Justus Mutumwa was found at the same facility.

According to family lawyer Dan Maanzo, the body which was in Ruai was moved to the City Mortuary.

"Justus Mutumwa, who was the first respondent, has been found dead in Ruai. We are here at the city mortuary trying to unearth the details, but we will give more information subsequently," Maanzo told reporters at the court precincts.

"Police gave misleading information that they were on their way to Kitui but the body was found in the river around Ruai a day after disappearance. The police did not give the correct information in court," he said.

Mutumwa, Martin Mwau, and Kalani Muema, were reportedly arrested by individuals believed to be police officers on December 16, 2024.

The unfortunate turn of events unfolded hours after Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin appeared in court over the alleged abductions.

The two were required to appear in court to explain the whereabouts of three people.

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