Combative lawyer says police officers treated him ‘like a beast’ for five days

Lawyer Miguna Miguna has narrated his stay in custody for five days, saying he was treated ‘like a beast’.

In an interview with a BBC journalist in Amsterdam while en-route to Canada, Mr Miguna said he was taken to at least six police stations.

Miguna was arrested on February 2 from his Runda home by a team of more than 30 heavily armed police officers.

“I was abducted from my house by people who did not even identify themselves as police. They detonated a grenade at my house,” the lawyer said.

He added that the officers used explosives to force their way into his compound.

Upon arrest, he says, “they took me to all manner of locations. They took me to at least six police stations.”

Initially, Miguna was taken to Kiambu, then Githunguri, Lari, Kajiado, Anti-Terror Police Unit, the Inland Container Depot Police Station, and the JKIA Police Station.

He said he was taken to the runway at the airport and forced into the plane.

Miguna said police officers accused him of being in Kenya illegally, claiming he was not a Kenyan and deported him.

Kept incommunicado

“I have been treated like a beast. I have been treated so badly in the five days that I was kept incommunicado in detention. I was only given food twice, I was not allowed to sleep, I was kept standing for more than 24 hours and when I was able to sleep, I slept on bare cement cold floor without anything. I have not been able to take a shower since Friday. Even right now, my feet are swollen…” he said.

At some point, he says, he said he was worried that he “was going to get an attack of pneumonia. I demanded to see a doctor but they refused. I have been tortured. These guys do not respect the rule of law and the Constitution. And worse of all, they call themselves law enforcement agencies but they don’t comply with orders so they are rogue.”

Miguna accused the police of impunity for ignoring court orders.

“They wanted to continue to humiliate, degrade, and torture me,” he said.

“Unfortunately for them, the Constitution is clear. You cannot cancel the citizenship of someone born in Kenya. I am going to Canada to fight the illegality. I have instructed lawyers to institute proceedings to allow me to return to Kenya,” he said.

He said he had a right to associate with and belong to any political group.

He added that he expected Canada to be involved in his case because what happened to him was a violation of human rights.