Kapseret residents hold protests over alleged abduction of medic

Residents of Megun, Kapseret in Uasin Gishu County block the busy Eldoret- Nairobi Highway as they protest over the alleged abduction of Medical Laboratory Technologist Edward Kipchumba Terer by security officers in Sambalat, Kerio Valley on June 2.  [Lynn Kolongei, Standard]

The busy Eldoret-Nairobi highway was temporarily brought to a standstill on Friday morning after furious Kapseret residents staged a protest over the alleged abduction of medical laboratory technologist Edward Terer.

The demonstrators, chanting slogans and carrying placards bearing Terer's image, barricaded the road for nearly an hour, causing a major traffic snarl-up that left hundreds of motorists stranded.

Armed police officers were deployed to the scene and pleaded with the protestors to clear the highway.

The protest follows the disappearance of Terer, 47, a father of five and resident of Kabongwa village in Megun, who was reportedly abducted by security officers in the volatile Kerio Valley eleven days ago. He worked at a hospital in Sambalat, a remote area often affected by insecurity.

“We have come here to demand the immediate release of Terer who is one of our own. He is a resident of Kabongwa village in Megun and was working at a hospital in Sambalat, Kerio Valley. We are wondering why he was abducted?” Said Peter Barng’etuny, one of the demonstrators.

Fellow protester Elphas Kemei added: “If he is no more, then bring us his body so that we all can see him and get closure. If he had done any wrong, then he should have been arrested and arraigned in court.”

Human rights activist Kimutai Kirui also condemned the incident, noting that two other medics—one of them a clinic owner—were also recently abducted, interrogated, and later released.

He questioned why authorities would abduct a professional whose services are paramount to the people of volatile region.

“For almost 14 years, Terer has served the people of Kerio Valley albeit a region beset by insecurity. As medic, he has a duty to attend to all sick people regardless of their backgrounds, criminal or not. If an operation is being carried out in the region, then the police should leave out medics and spare their lives,” said Kirui.

Terer now joins a growing list of individuals allegedly abducted in the Kerio Valley during what Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently described as a crackdown on suspected bandits.

Last week, the bodies of Simon Yego, 45, and Collins Kipyatich, 22, who were also reported missing from the region, were found in Nakuru.

Terer’s family has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ministry of Interior and the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to produce him dead or alive and provide a full explanation for his disappearance.

“Terer’s wife and children have been crying, seeking answers on their missing father’s whereabouts. We

Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge said he was not aware of Terer's abduction.