Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has dismissed claims of widespread abductions, maintaining that cases reported as disappearances should instead be treated as missing persons reports unless there is evidence identifying those responsible.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, Omollo added that the said allegations of abductions should be backed by credible information, including the identity of the alleged perpetrators, to enable authorities to investigate and take appropriate action.
"I am actually struggling to get the concern because when you say there is a reemergence of abductions, I can clearly state that that only happened in the previous regime, not under President Ruto's rule," Omollo alleged.
The PS described some of the reported cases as "purported abductions," alleging that certain individuals had staged their own disappearances by hiding in their homes or voluntarily admitting themselves to hospitals before later resurfacing.
According to Omollo, such incidents create unnecessary public anxiety and are intended to portray the administration in a negative light.
"I call on the media to scrutinise such cases more closely and expose individuals who allegedly fake disappearances. Little attention has been paid to instances in which people are later found to have gone into hiding voluntarily," he added.
Omollo reiterated that it respects the constitutional rights of all Kenyans, including the freedoms of expression and peaceful dissent, and insisted it remains committed to upholding those rights.
His sentiments come in the backdrop of various cases reported by civil societies and desperate families who have been tracing their loved ones in vain.
A recent case of abduction was two days ago when Mathare-based activist Davis Lichuma was found barely alive after he was arrested during the Gen-Z commemoration. He was held incommunicado, tortured before being dumped in critical condition at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
