National Economic Development Party (NEDP) leader Mike Sonko has announced a KSh200,000 reward for credible information leading to the whereabouts of three men who disappeared in June, as he renewed calls for security agencies to account for the missing individuals.
The three are Michael Oloo Osoro, Evans Otieno Omondi and Macmillan Kiarie Mugo, whose families say they have been living in anguish since their disappearance.
In a public appeal issued on Saturday, Sonko urged anyone with information that could help trace any of the missing men to come forward, assuring potential informants that their identities would remain strictly confidential.
“I am offering a KSh200,000 reward for information that leads to the whereabouts of any of them. Your identity will be kept strictly confidential,” Sonko said.
He also appealed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and other security agencies to clarify whether the three are being held in lawful custody.
“If these young men are in lawful custody, kindly inform their families. If they are suspected of any offence, let them be presented before a court of law and accorded due process as provided by the Constitution,” he said.
Sonko noted that the families continue to endure emotional distress as they search for answers, saying no family should be forced to live with the uncertainty surrounding the disappearance of a loved one.
He called on the public to volunteer any credible information that could help reunite the missing men with their families, while urging authorities to uphold constitutional safeguards and ensure transparency in handling missing persons cases.
High Court order to IG
The High Court has since summoned Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin to appear in court on July 20 over the disappearance of the three Mathare activists.
The order, issued by Judge Alexander Muasya Muteti, followed an application seeking the production of the three men after their alleged arrest by suspected state agents. Kanja and Amin did not appear in court on Tuesday, July 14, as earlier directed.
According to court documents, the three were reportedly picked up by armed men travelling in unmarked vehicles.
“The persons were all armed with handcuffs and rifles, while some were additionally armed with pistols secured in thigh holsters,” the court heard.
Mugo’s mother told the court on July 14 that family and friends were unable to reach him by phone on the morning of June 20, prompting them to begin searching for him. “It is reasonably believed that the subject has been abducted by a clandestine unit within the country’s security apparatus and that the subject is now a victim of torture and/or intimidation and even risks death,” the court documents state.
On her part, Osoro’s wife, Rose Sopi, told the court that her husband was picked up from a barbershop while being shaved. “Despite making a missing person report and diligent efforts by his family members and advocates to trace him through various police stations within Nairobi County, no information on his whereabouts has been forthcoming.”
Omondi’s wife, Pamela Aloo, told the court that her husband, a boda boda operator, was last seen at a shop in Ruai, Nairobi County, where she was allegedly taken by men who left his motorcycle behind.
The appeal comes amid growing public concern over reported disappearances and renewed calls for accountability and adherence to due process by security agencies.
