Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on Tuesday, January 21, assured the media that he will present himself to the courts when he is ready.
His assurance came days after he failed to heed three consecutive court summons that sparked outrage over respect towards the Judiciary by senior public officers.
“When the time comes for me to appear in court I will appear. When I am ready I will appear before the courts,” Kanja told reporters who pinned him down during a press conference in Kwale County.
The police boss alongside Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohammed Amin had snubbed court summons thrice in what many viewed as a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
(Left to Right) General Service Unit Commandant Ranson Lolmodooni, DCI Director Amin Mohammed and Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja during a press briefing in Nairobi on December 4 at Harambee house.
Ministry of Interior
In the most recent summon, Justice Chacha Mwita had ordered Kanja to appear before the court on Monday, January 13, to address inquiries regarding the whereabouts of four individuals abducted in Kitengela.
The four Kenyans, Stephen Mbisi Kavingu, Martin Nyukwa Mwau, Kalani Mwema, and Justice Mutumwa, have been missing for nearly a month after they were abducted between December 16 and December 17 last year at different locations on the outskirts of Nairobi.
The court order had stemmed from an earlier petition filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) where they sought orders compelling Kanja and Amin to produce the missing Mlolongo Four.
Before this, Kanja had disregarded a summon by Justice Bahati Mwamuye to respond to questions regarding the abduction of seven people in a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), among others.
In his ruling, Justice Mwamuye summoned the two to appear at the next hearing scheduled for January 27, warning that failure to attend would result in their immediate sentencing and imprisonment.
Kanja and Amin first snubbed a court summon after Lady Justice Diana Kavedza ordered the two to produce six Kenyans who were abducted in December 2024. The orders required that the victims be produced before the court on December 31, 2024, but this did not happen.
On the other hand, Kanja stated that the probe into missing person cases was at an advanced stage informing that the police would soon release their findings.
“I have given directives to the DCI team that investigations into missing persons be done with the highest professional standards and be completed conclusively,” Kanja averred.
“Any criminal who is associated with those matters (abductions) will be arrested, taken to court, and charged according to the Kenyan law,” he added.
Kanja went on to reiterate the police service’s commitment to get down to the bottom of the abduction menace that ravaged the country.
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