High court gives IG last chance to explain whereabouts of three abducted Kenyans

Justice Lawrence Mugambi of Nairobi High Court has ordered the Inspector General of police to appear before the court on Thursday at 10 am to explain why they have disobeyed orders of the court twice.

The IG had been ordered to appear in court to explain the whereabouts of three men allegedly kidnapped last month and disobeyed the court orders.

The three are Bob Micheni Njagi, Jamil Longton and Aslam Longton suspected to have been abducted by security agents on August 19, 2024, for perception of involvement in anti-government protests.

They were picked up for allegedly spearheading the mobilisation of youthful protesters pushing for good governance in the country prompting the Law Society of Kenya to sue the IG and others to produce them, before Mugambi ordered IG to appear in the court.

The IG was expected to appear before the court virtually at 10 am on Tuesday which he did not and later at 3:30 pm this afternoon which he also did not.

Mugambi has given the IG office the last opportunity to remedy themselves before they are cited for contempt of court.

The judge noted that the IG has declined even to attend court virtually as ordered despite the evidence that they have been served with directions of the court after they were sued by the LSK to produce the three men even before charging them.

The LSK sued the IG, the Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for the disappearances of the three.

Others listed as respondents in the petition include the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General.

The LSK accuses security personnel of using extrajudicial means to scare or intimidate the public from exercising their rights to demonstrate and picket peacefully through illegal abductions and detentions.

"Reports have been made that the (three men) were abducted by armed police officers, taken away and held incommunicado at an undisclosed location contrary to the constitutional safeguards," states the LSK in its petition on behalf of the abducted men.

"All the three have been abducted in the course of expressing dissatisfaction to the increase of taxes during these tough economic times as well as advocating for change against the current regime, to the extent that they are being muzzled from freely expressing themselves."

And the society is further seeking compensation for all persons unlawfully abducted and detained during the protests, from the National police service, NIS and others.

The LSK says the three missing men were singled out from many Kenyans demonstrating on the streets and have been denied their freedom of association.

"The petitioners (Njagi and Longtons) being active citizens on social media platforms sensitised the youth to come out in large numbers and to advocate for the rejection of the Finance Bill in totality and to actively participate in the countrywide protest agitating for change in the country," states the LSK in suit papers.

The three were vocal on social media allegedly mobilizing youths to participate in the push for the change.

LSK president Faith Odhiambo wants the county government to stop the disposal of the unidentified bodies at the City Mortuary pending the determination of the matter in court because she suspects that the bodies of the three could be disposed of among the unidentified ones.