Court orders abduction cases against IG of Police be heard on January 8
The cases were mentioned in court on Friday, where it was revealed that the six men; Ronny Kiplagat, Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, and Kelvin Muthoni had still not been released by the police.
A judge has ordered all cases filed against Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, regarding the abductions of six men last year to be heard on January 8, 2025.
High Court Judge Alexander Muteti, who was handling two cases filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), directed that the matters be transferred to Justice Bahati Mwamuye, who is already overseeing other related cases.
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"To avoid issuance of conflicting orders regarding the same subject for the release and production in court of the six abductees, I hereby direct the matters before me to be placed before Justice Mwamuye for hearing and determination," he ruled.
The cases were mentioned in court on Friday, where it was revealed that the six men; Ronny Kiplagat, Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, and Kelvin Muthoni had still not been released by the police.
Lawyers representing Omtatah and the LSK requested that these cases be heard alongside others already scheduled for January 8, 2025.
On December 31, 2024, Justice Mwamuye had already directed that several petitions, including those filed by the LSK, Kenya Human Rights Commission, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya Chapter, and the Bloggers and Cartoonists lobby group, be heard on the same date. He ordered all lawyers involved to submit evidence by January 7, 2025.
Justice Mwamuye had granted the IG seven days to explain his failure to produce the abductees on December 31, 2024.
The judge also ordered the IG to appear before any High Court in Kenya to explain the situation.
"There is still room for the IG to vindicate himself by presenting the six abductees in any High Court to avoid penal consequences," Justice Mwamuye stated.
However, the judge rejected a request from lawyer Paul Nyamondi to allow a representative of the IG of Police to explain the whereabouts of the six men, stressing that the IG himself was expected to attend court and provide an explanation.
As the head of public security, Justice Mwamuye noted that the IG should know the whereabouts of the abducted individuals, a point echoed by Senior Counsel Martha Karua and Senior Counsel Kalonzo Musyoka.
"The IG of Police knows everything, so he knows where the abducted young men are being incarcerated," Karua said.
Musyoka further questioned how safe the country is, if the IG is unaware of the police force's actions, asking, "How safe are we if the IG is not aware of what is happening within the police force?"
