Murkomen condemns self abductions

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has condemned a growing trend of some political leaders ‘self-abducting themselves and regretted that it is interfering with dealing with genuine cases of enforced disappearances reported in the country.

According to the CS, there have been at least three situations where prominent leaders have staged their own disappearances, noting that such actions not only mislead the public but also erode trust in ongoing investigations into real abduction cases.

The CS stated that at least 206 Kenyans are still unaccounted for since 2022, cases which are associated with suspected enforced disappearances, abductions and extra-judicial killings.

“So far, we have identified at least three incidents where prominent individuals allegedly staged their own disappearances, only to later resurface unharmed,” said Murkomen.

Murkomen, who made the remarks when he appeared at the Senate plenary yesterday, said this paints a grim picture of a persistent security challenge and affirmed that the Government has stepped up to address the crisis.

At the same time, he dismissed several reported abductions as “theatrics” and “politically organised”, saying that investigating staged disappearances is a drain on national security resources that should be deployed elsewhere.

He said that in some instances, individuals who reappear after alleged abductions decline to record statements, which limits investigators’ ability to conclusively determine what happened.

“Some individuals write 'scripts,' abduct themselves, and then emerge claiming to have been attacked by a squad,” the CS stated.

The CS referred to the former Cabinet minister Raphael Tuju case, Juja MP George Koimburi and also Ndiangui Kinyagia, saying their alleged disappearances were later found to have been self-initiated.

In all three cases, he said that police investigations have established that the individuals had voluntarily gone into hiding for personal reasons as opposed to abduction claims, even as he said that Komburi admitted to having staged the incident.

“There are cases where it was established that the individuals had voluntarily gone into hiding and were not abducted. Koimburi has now laid bare that this was an act of drama meant to hoodwink Kenyans,” said Murkomen.

Migori Senator Eddy Oketch wanted to know the situation around those who had self-abducted, with Murkomen citing Ndiangui’s case, which also triggered legal action against the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

“These cases paint a very bad picture. These are leaders and role models, yet they are embarrassing the National Police Service and trivialising serious cases of enforced disappearance,” the CS regretted.

The Coast region has been named by security agencies as having the highest number of missing persons at 60, followed by Eastern (35), Nairobi (31), and Rift Valley (19), respectively, adding that 48 individuals reported missing during the same period were later found dead, while 146 were traced alive.

To strengthen response to abductions, he said the government has established a specialised anti-abduction unit within the DCI to handle such cases with greater expertise and the introduction of enhanced reporting mechanisms to encourage confidential public reporting, in addition to revitalisation of community policing initiatives aimed at improving collaboration between law enforcement and the public.

As far as the ID issue is concerned, Murkomen dismissed claims that the government is suppressing issuance in certain regions, terming the reports as propaganda.

He said all pending ID cards have been printed except for 58,000, which should be completed and distributed by the end of this week, adding that the pace at which they are processing shows a high level of efficiency in issuance since independence.

His remarks come against the backdrop of concerns raised by several political leaders, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, about alleged discrimination in the issuance of IDs, claims the government continues to strongly deny.

But Murkomen said the Mt Kenya region has the highest number of registration centres, especially in counties such as Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Embu, alongside Nairobi and parts of Rift Valley and Nyanza and there is no reason why any Kenyan should lack an identity card.