All persons who had disappeared or abducted during the Gen Z protests last year were returned home, this is according to President William Ruto.
Speaking on Monday, May 12 during a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb, President Ruto, while answering a journalist, said his government had taken decisive steps to address the situation.
“All the people who disappeared or were abducted have been brought back to their homes. I have given clarity that nothing of that nature will happen again,” President Ruto emphasised.
However, Embakasi North MP James Gakuya is having non of it. The legislator says the police could not have carried out alleged abductions and extra-judicial killings of Gen Z protestors without the knowledge of the State.
“The government has a departmental committee which is assigned to such matters. The committee should start investigations on the whereabouts of young people, the course of extra-judicial killings, and who caused this. At this moment, Parliament ought to have a report on the abductions and extra-judicial killings. So that victims can be compensated and perpetrators brought to book,” MP Gakuya said on Tuesday, May 13, in an interview with TV47.
While cutting President Ruto some slack for “acknowledging abductions” during last year’s youth-led protests, MP Gakuya said the head of state must now take action against the perpetrators.
“If abductions, and extra-judicial killings were carried out without President Ruto’s knowledge, then action must be taken against those police officers. How can they go scot-free, and still have their jobs?
“The President must take action. He should assure Kenyans that government will take responsibility, the perpetrators should face the law, and that the State will compensate families of the victims.”
‘Disband IPOA’
Gakuya also launched a scathing attack on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) for not executing its mandate, of holding rogue police officers to account.
“We cannot stop at just President Ruto’s statement that abductions will not happen again. What about the injuries? How do you cure that? IPOA should either be disbanded because it does not have teeth to bite, or it should be given extraordinary powers to make a real impact. It seems that whatever they investigate just goes in circles and never sees the light of day.”
