Abductions threaten to water down Maraga police reforms

Police arrest a protester during anti-government demonstrations in Nairobi. [File, Standard] During his campaigns, President William Ruto used the extra-judicial killings and abductions as a campaign tool and vowed that if he elected, these would be a thing of the past. Ruto told supporters that he was a victim of extra-judicial killings after two poll experts from India Mohamed Zaid Sami and Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan and Nicodemus Mwangi were went missing in July 2022. When he ascended to the presidency, Ruto disbanded the dreaded Special Services Unit (SSU) of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) which was linked to the abduction squad and 18 officers attached to the DCI were arrested and prosecuted. Tue to his promise, the president formed a National Police Taskforce and appointed Retired Chief Justice David Maraga to review the operations within the National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service to ensure better service to Kenyans and to make the police service an independent service devoid of political interference. Maraga's report identified specific issues such as political interference in the NPS, corruption in employment and promotions, police training curriculum, an inadequate National Police Service Commission (NPSC), the role of the Cabinet Secretary responsible for National Security and structure of the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) in the police. He called for political goodwill in the implementation of the recommendations saying similar proposals were previously made but did not see light of day. "It also became clear that the reform recommendations stand little chance of being implemented if the leadership issues are not addressed," the retired Chief Justice said. However, with the increased cases of abductions in the country, the good intentions of the President seem to have been forgotten. While reforms were also aimed at improving the relations between the police and the public, the spate of abductions have worsened the situation. In many cases, the public have thwarted the alleged abductions in cases where police later announced that they were carrying out their duty. On Friday, two men in a Subaru attempted to 'arrest' and handcuff a man in Roysambu but irate residents stopped them. Four days ago, irate members of the public confronted men who claimed they were civilian-dressed police who arrested and handcuffed a man in Nakuru city. A video that went viral showed a cuffed man struggling to free himself from another person outside Shoppers Paradise Building. In the video, residents confronting the man, claiming to be a police officer, were heard demanding to know the crime the handcuffed man had committed. "Why are you arresting him? Show us that bhang you are claiming he has," said the well-built man as other members of the public yelled. Another woman is heard in the background demanding that the alleged officer identify himself. The "officers" who were unwilling to identify themselves were outnumbered by the public and forced to retreat while still holding on to the suspect. Shortly, boda boda riders joined by other residents are seen grabbing the suspect as one of the women hits the officer in a bid to free the subdued youth. In Kirinyaga County, residents of Kiamanyeki village in Mwea turned against the police following an alarm that one of their neighbours was allegedly being kidnapped. Tension mounted as the residents nearly lynched six detectives from Kerugoya Police Station, after mistaking them for abductors of a local woman identified as Jackline Gatwiri. The victim claimed that the officers called and requested her to meet them in Ngurubani Town, but things took a different turn after they attempted to forcibly bundle her into their vehicle. Aarea chief Henry Kariuki and other armed officers from Wanguru Police Station rescued the detectives. "The officers called me to meet them in Ngurubani Town, claiming they needed my help to arrest a suspect who is a friend of mine. When I arrived, they forcefully put me into their vehicle and drove me to Kiamanyeki village without giving me a chance to inform my employer," Gatwiri explained. Later on the DCI took to its X to explain that they were pursuing Gatwiri as she was a suspect implicated in a case of robbery with violence and rape. "The officers had been deployed by the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer to pursue the runaway suspect named in an ongoing Criminal Case No. 278/33/2024 and Court File No. E381, who traced the suspect, Jackline Gatwiri to the village and moved in swiftly to effect the arrest. A rowdy mob, however, pooled forces and attacked the officers who were onboard a government vehicle registration no. KBZ 684Y, threatening to set it ablaze should they not release the suspect," the police report read. Security experts and human activists have warned that the country is likely to plunge into anarchy if the ongoing spate of abductions is not addressed by the authorities even as they called on the government to adhere and uphold the rule of law. While launching 35th edition of the world report on Thursday, Human Rights Watch Africa attributed the enforced disappearances to a shadowy government-linked special squad, reminiscent of the disbanded Special Service Unit (SSU) under the previous regime. The activists allege that a unit, dubbed Operation Support Unit (OSU), has been behind kidnappings and disappearances. Otsieno Namwaya, East Africa Director of Human Rights Watch, said: "(President William) Ruto disbanded SSU and formed OSU which is doing exactly what the SSU was doing." According to the report, 83 young individuals have recently been abducted, with 26 still missing - raising concerns over the eroding human rights and the rule of law in Kenya. Mark Onyango, a security expert, cautioned that the ongoing abductions risk causing a trust deficit between the National Police Service and the Kenyans, a move he said would lead to insecurity in the country. "When Kenyans don't trust the police who are supposed to maintain law and order, it will lead to some taking law into their own hands while the patriotic Kenyans will not volunteer formation to the police to thwart crimes. Even if the government was not behind the increased cases, it has a duty to protect its citizens," Onyango said. The political class led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has waded into the matter and asked Kenyans to conduct citizen arrests of 'abductors' who attempt to arrest them without identifying themselves. "It's the standard operating procedure for police officers to identify themselves and every officer who fails to identify himself should be treated as an abductor, Kenyans are on their own and must take precautionary measures," Kalonzo said.

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