Amnesty International, Mukuru Social Justice Centre fault state over killings

Human rights groups Amnesty International Kenya and Mukuru Social Justice Centre on Saturday criticised President William Ruto's government over what they termed as runaway insecurity that has resulted in a spate of unexplained killings in the country.

Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irũngũ Houghton demanded urgent action from the state, saying that the killings can no longer be tolerated. He wants exhaustive investigations done to unearth those behind the killings.

"The recent spike in brutal killings, many of them involving women, requires urgent action from both state officers and communities. Amnesty Kenya calls on the authorities to prioritise swift and thorough investigations to bring those responsible before our courts and address the root causes of this violence," said Houghton.

Anami Daudi of Mukuru Social Justice Centre told The Eastleigh Voice that the state has failed to protect the right to life as enshrined in the Constitution.  He blamed the President for the runaway insecurity.

"We haven't seen anyone held responsible yet everything is happening under his supervision," said Anami.

Mukuru Social Justice Centre also stands with all survivors and families of victims of police brutality in the country, as they demand justice for those who have lost their lives, abducted and allegedly tortured by state agents.

National disaster

Anami suggested that the killings should be declared as a national disaster.

"We demand answers from President William Ruto. The killings should be declared a national disaster while all security chiefs should step aside for further investigation," Anami said.

He wondered if the country has suspended the Constitution since the state seems to have abdicated its role of protecting people's lives.

The statements by Houghton and Anami come a few days after the family of three individuals killed in Nairobi on Tuesday morning expressed their frustrations, stating that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is taking too long to apprehend those responsible for the brutal killings.

The victims, Amina Abdirashid, her aunt Waris Daud, and her niece Nuseiba Dahir, were all abducted and killed in what the family describes as a shocking and senseless crime.

The gruesome killings have drawn the attention of local leaders, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan, and Eastleigh North MCA Ahmedkadar Dabar. The leaders who condoled with the victims' families demanded urgent action.

Senator Sifuna condemned the killings and called on the DCI to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

"Given the recent wave of abductions and killings, it's hard to believe anyone feels a sense of safety in our own country right now. Nobody is safe until all of us are safe," Sifuna said.

The Kamukunji MP echoed these concerns, describing the situation as a tragedy for the Eastleigh community. He called for a thorough investigation and for the authorities to move quickly in apprehending those responsible.

"The Eastleigh community is devastated and in mourning over this tragedy. This has never happened in our community before. There is fear and panic, and I urge the security forces to act quickly to restore the confidence of the people of Eastleigh," Yusuf said.

Elsewhere, the shocking cold-blooded murder of Wells Fargo human resource manager, Willis Ayieko Onyango, left his family and those who knew him devastated.

His elder brother, Aggrey Oduor, shared a chilling account of how Ayieko's decomposing body was found mutilated, with his breasts, mouth, nose and ears cut and his eyes gouged out.

Detectives working on the case are yet to divulge details of their preliminary investigations.

Ayieko's body was discovered in the Mungowere stream in Yala, Siaya county on October 23 at 2 pm after he went missing for five days.