Kalonzo demands end to abductions after visiting activist Collins Otieno

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa visit activist Collins Otieno at LifeCare Hospital in Mlolongo. [Dennis Kavisu, Standard]

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has called for an end to abductions and alleged torture of Kenyans, accusing the government of abandoning due process and violating constitutional rights.

Kalonzo questioned why young activists such as Otieno would be targeted, saying the authorities should instead use established investigative and judicial mechanisms when pursuing suspects.

The former vice president said the abduction of Otieno and fellow activist Mulinge Muteti demonstrated the need for the government to uphold the rule of law and respect constitutional safeguards against arbitrary detention.

“We all outlawed, under the Constitution 2010, detention without trial. What President Ruto has attempted to do, because he knows he cannot detain people, since the Gen Z revolution, is to take it upon himself and his administration to unilaterally abduct and detain Kenyans contrary to the law,” Kalonzo said.

He spoke on Wednesday at Lifecare Hospital in Mlolongo, Machakos County, where he visited 20-year-old human rights defender Collins Otieno, who has been receiving treatment after he was found abandoned along Thika Road on Saturday, several days after he went missing.

Otieno, who spoke from his hospital bed, told journalists that he was in pain from the torture he went through at the hands of his abductors.

"I can't step down and walk. They beat me everywhere. They stepped on my chest and burnt me with a hot metal," he narrated.

All the while, Otieno recalled, "they were asking to know who is funding us from Uganda."

Kalonzo appealed to Ruto's administration to stop what he described as a campaign of abductions, saying Kenyans wanted a country where their rights were protected.

“Please stop the madness. Kenyans are fed up; they are tired. They want a country they can call their home,” he said.

The Ukombozi coalition leader was accompanied by DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa and Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, who said they would pursue legal action on behalf of victims of abductions and alleged torture.

Wamalwa said they would also push for compensation of victims of extrajudicial killings and other rights abuses that had not been adequately covered in the government compensation plan.

Activist Collins Otieno at a hospital in Mlolongo, Machakos County, on September 30, 2026, after his abduction during a demonstration. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

“Those who were abducted and those who were tortured have not been extended the compensation. Some of them were tortured across the border in Uganda after being abducted in Kenya,” Wamalwa said.

He emphasised the need to preserve Kenya’s democratic institutions and Constitution, warning that economic development could not substitute for protection of citizens’ rights.

“We can get all the investors, build all the highways, build all the railways, build all the ports and refineries. But if we lose our soul as a nation, a democratic nation under God that believes in the Constitution and the rule of law, then we have lost everything,” he said.

“We want to file a mass case for everybody who has been abducted and released. Even those who are abducted and have never been seen, we want to pursue justice so that Kenyans can live within our Constitution,” Maanzo said.

Kalonzo also used the hospital visit to address wider national issues, including foreign investment and the newly launched Oil Refinery in Lamu by businessman Aliko Dangote.

He said the Lamu Port and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor (LAPSSET) reflected a vision developed during the Kibaki administration and urged the government to distinguish between opposition to investment and demands for proper legal processes.

“We are not against it. We just want to get due process,” he said, while welcoming foreign direct investment in Kenya.

“Dangote doesn't belong to Ruto. He belongs to Africa. This is one of the investors we are proud of,” he said.

He further criticised the reported killing of animals in Samburu by armed security personnel, calling for investigations and compensation for affected communities.

“We stand with the people of Samburu County,” Kalonzo said. “The people of Samburu must get adequate compensation again for those criminal activities that have been committed against the community.”

The leaders also issued a political warning to Ruto, saying the opposition would seek to unite ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We will do everything to unite to ensure that in the next 300 days we send you back home to Sugoi,” Wamalwa said.