Kenyans on the internet are protesting the rising number of activists and demonstrators being kidnapped by the police for being loud opponents of the contentious Finance Bill 2024.
Social media posts circulated before the Tuesday’s planned nationwide rallies against the proposed law, claiming that prominent participants in the youth-led nonviolent protests had been detained and their locations were unknown.
Among them is Gabriel Oguda, a well-known social critic and outspoken opponent of President William Ruto’s administration, who was reportedly kidnapped early on Tuesday morning.
Zachary, Oguda’s brother, said on the web that the newspaper writer was picked up by individuals he thought were police and taken from his home.
“Any tweets coming from @gabrieloguda were already scheduled. HE ISN’T SAFE,” Zachary added in a post some minutes past 4 a.m.
Other people behind the X pages include Franje, Drey Mwangi, and Osama Otero, among others.
The most recent incidents join the list of demonstrators detained over the weekend, including Shadrak Kiprono, also known as Shad Khalif, who was kidnapped on Saturday night in Nairobi’s South B neighborhood.
Following a public outcry, a few protestors were freed; on Sunday night, Dr. Austin Omondi, also known as Ja Prado, was set free.
Omondi was allegedly apprehended by people in a car with the license plate KCU 819H when he was conducting a blood drive for injured demonstrators at the Sikh Union on Nairobi’s Forest Road.
Billy Simani, commonly referred to as Crazy Nairobian, on X. He was arrested on Friday and was freed from police custody on Saturday night.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) have denounced the kidnappings and demanded an abrupt end to 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,” The KHRC stated on Monday.
LSK also demanded the abductees’ unconditional and immediate release.
