Kenyans online are protesting the increased police abduction of activists and protesters who have been vocal against the unpopular Finance Bill 2024.
Ahead of Tuesday’s nationwide demonstrations against the proposed law, social media reports emerged that key figures in the youth-led peaceful protests had been arrested and their whereabouts remained unknown.
They include Gabriel Oguda, a popular social commentator and vocal critic of President William Ruto’s government, whom reports say was abducted in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Oguda’s brother Zachary posted online that the newspaper columnist was whisked away from his house by men believed to be police officers.
I can confirm that my brother has been taken by unknown gunmen from his house 5 minutes ago.
— Zachary Oguda (@zaxoguda) June 24, 2024
“Any tweets coming from @gabrieloguda were already scheduled. HE ISN’T SAFE,” Zachary added in a post some minutes past 4 a.m.
Others are people behind the X pages Franje, Drey Mwangi and Osama Otero, among others.
The latest cases add to other protesters who were captured over the weekend such as Shadrak Kiprono, alias Shad Khalif, who was abducted on Saturday night in Nairobi’s South B area and whose whereabouts remain unclear.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) in a statement on Tuesday morning condemned the abductions as a return to darkness. LSK President Faith Odhiambo vowed that the lawyers’ body will bring those orchestrating the abductions to book.
“Over the last 72 hrs, Kenya has been drawn back to the dark era of a rogue, irrational police force operating through repressive, retrogressive, clandestine, illegal, extra-judicial tactics to forcefully quell public dissent against misgivings of government, lapses in governance and more specifically, the contentious Finance Bill 2024,” Odhiambo said.
“We will unmask and take action against these rogue criminal elements putting our police in ruin.”
Some protesters were released before Tuesday after a public uproar; Dr Austin Omondi, alias Ja Prado, was released on Sunday night.
Omondi was running a blood donation drive for injured protesters at Sikh Union along Nairobi’s Forest Road and is said to have been captured by individuals in a vehicle bearing the registration number KCU 819H.
Prominent X user Billy Simani, alias Crazy Nairobian, was on Saturday evening released from police custody following his arrest on Friday.
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) on Monday also condemned the abductions and called for an immediate cessation of this trend.
“The abductions, often occurring at night and carried out by police officers in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles, aim to intimidate protesters planning to participate in future peaceful demonstrations urging MPs to reject the bill,” KHRC said.
LSK at the time also called for the unconditional and immediate release of the abductees.
Two people have so far died from police-inflicted injuries since the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations began last Tuesday.
A nationwide strike dubbed #TotalShutdownKE is on Tuesday scheduled to take place across all counties, especially in Nairobi’s central business district, to pressure parliamentarians to shoot down the bill this week.
The proposed law passed its Second Reading in the House last Tuesday after 204 MPs voted yes to the bill while 115 voted no. It enters the Committee Stage this week.
