Religious leaders have called for the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, and the Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Amin Mohammed, to resign immediately over the abduction of six young people two weeks ago.
The leaders, speaking at a press conference on Sunday, faulted security agencies for their silence over abductions that have left the country reeling in fear and suspense as the fate of some of the abductees remains unknown.
Led by the Catholic Archbishop, the church leaders warned the IG of the police and the DCI boss to step up their measures and produce the abducted young people, or they should resign immediately. The six include Bernard Kavuli, Gideon Kibet (alias Kibet Bull), Rony Kiplang’at, Steve Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, and Peter Muteti.
“The government should ensure that the family of every Kenyan is protected so that we can have peaceful lives in our society,” Catholic Archbishop Phillip Anyolo reasoned.
Archbishop Philip Anyolo of the Nairobi Archdiocese
Photo
ADN
The men of the cloth also condemned the abductions, terming them as backward and a violation of fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya.
“As a church, we are appealing for the government to produce the young people because the government has the tools to research. And if there is a crime from any corner involving any Kenyan, the government ought to provide dignity and all means possible to secure that life,” Bishop Alfred Rotich stated.
In effect, the leaders want security agencies to conduct thorough investigations and establish the whereabouts of the abductees.
“We are, as a church, asking for a full investigation and a detailed report as to who kidnapped these young people and who killed them,” Evans Omollo, a church leader, demanded.
“Failure to provide that information to the Kenyan people, we ask the inspector general of police to resign from his role,” he added.
They noted the intense pain and mental anguish of the families of the affected who do not know the fate of their abducted kin. The call by the church comes amid mounting pressure for the government to produce six abducted young people who went missing in the last weeks.
It comes as two bodies of young people were recovered separately on Saturday, January 4. The first body identified as John Muchiri Muthoni, aged 27, was recovered in Kiambu near Banana, while the second body identified as 26-year-old Ian Singoe, who had been missing for a while, was discovered in Mwiki, in the outskirts of Nairobi.
The two add to the list of bodies recovered following the identification of 24-year-old activist Ibrahim Hilal Mwiti, who had been missing since November, at Thika Level 5 Mortuary on Friday.
Whilst President William Ruto promised to ensure the abductions stop, neither the Director of Criminal Investigations, the Inspector General, the Interior Ministry, the National Police, nor the government itself have unearthed who is behind the abductions.
On December 30, 2024, the High Court ordered the immediate release of the six individuals believed to have been abducted by state agents, orders that are yet to be actualised.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has recorded 61 alleged police killings and 73 cases of abductions or missing persons since June 2024. In December 2024 alone, seven abductions were reported, with six individuals still missing, bringing the total to 29 cases under investigation by KNCHR.
A photo collage of Bernard Kavuli, Peter Muteti and Billy Mwangi who were reportedly abducted for sharing AI-generate images of the President.