PREVIEW
The abduction of a Tanzanian campaigner, assaulted by unknown assailants in Nairobi, reinforces concerns about a spate of extraordinary renditions
The kidnapping and subsequent release hours later of the Tanzanian political activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai in Nairobi is the latest in a chilling series of abductions involving the connivance of Kenya’s security services.
The abduction of dozens of youth activists, many of whom were later murdered, as well as the extraordinary rendition of foreign activists, including Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, has shocked Kenyans (AC Vol 65 No 23, Facing calls for reform, the state hits back).
Tsehai’s kidnapping was reported immediately and, on 13 January, Tsehai told a press briefing that she had been choked and assaulted by four unknown assailants who forced her into a vehicle in Nairobi’s middle-class Kilimani district, on the afternoon of 12 January.
Tsehai blamed President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi for her abduction. Last year, Tanzanian opposition politicians, including Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu, were detained and beaten by police (Dispatches, 22/10/24, Opposition cries foul over latest brutal attack and poll rigging).
Despite the evidence, the police force continues to deny any involvement. On 13 January, a High Court gave Inspector-General of Police, Douglas Kanja, and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin, four days to release three men: Justus Mutumwa, Martin Mwau and Karani Muema (Dispatches, 31/12/24, State House under fire over kidnappings).
The three were allegedly abducted in Machakos County in December. Justice Chacha Mwita also ordered Kanja and Amin to appear in court on 17 January, before citing them for contempt of court.
Despite leading politicians also being affected – the son of Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi was abducted and later released last year – and President William Ruto promising to address the issue, the police continue to act with impunity.
In a sign of the top-level political support that they enjoy, the police leadership have repeatedly defied court orders to release abductees and to appear in court. In September, Kanja’s predecessor Gilbert Masengeli was given a six-month jail sentence for contempt of court after defying seven orders to testify on the whereabouts of three activists said to have been abducted by the police.
With little prospect of this order being respected, similar sanctions appear likely. A handful of abductees were quietly released at police stations across the country in early January, with images suggesting that they had been tortured.
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