Presidential aspirant Okiya Omtatah has come out to narrate the last moments of Kibet Bull, an X cartoonist who was allegedly abducted on December 24 after visiting his offices.
Omtatah, in a press conference on Thursday, December 26, confirmed that Kibet had visited his offices between the hours of 11 am and 4 pm on Tuesday, December 24, in a bid to introduce himself.
“He informed me that he is a very big supporter of the work I do and that he had travelled to Nairobi from Nakuru just to meet me before flying out,” Omtatah stated, referring to Kibet’s impending trip to Israel for further studies.
“He also informed me that he would be staying at his brother’s house before his departure. He did not express any fears about his safety.”
Lawyer and Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah on June 18, 2023.
Photo
Okiya Omtatah
The Busia senator confirmed that his security team had observed a white Subaru trailing Kibet to his offices packed just across the street.
As a result, he added that he had his driver and a colleague drive Kibet to the Kencom bus stage, where he was expected to board a matatu to Kikuyu.
“When I learnt of his abduction, I made a report to the Upperhill Police Station. I took it upon myself to make that report because he left this house and did not arrive at his destination,” he stated.
“I strongly believe that Mr. Kibet was tracked and abducted by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations because, as soon as he arrived, my security informed me that they were monitoring a white Subaru, which was mounted with suspected spy communication gadgets used to intercept phone conversations.”
Further recounting the incident, Omtatah said that the occupants of the vehicle—two men and a lady—did not leave the entire time the cartoonist was at his office and did not depart until shortly after Kibet left as well.
Kibet had reportedly been avoiding coming to the city out of fear for his safety, but his brother’s disappearance on Saturday had also prompted him to travel from Nakuru to the capital.
He is known on X for creating cartoons depicting politicians and other high-profile personnel in cartoon form.
During the press conference, Omtatah also called for the release of all Kenyans abducted for posting their opinions on social media. These include Bill Mwangi, Peter Muteti Njeru, and Bernard Kavuli, who were allegedly abducted for posting AI-generated images of the President.
A photo collage of Bernard Kavuli, Peter Muteti and Billy Mwangi who were reportedly abducted for sharing AI-generate images of the President.