Kenya's role in alleged abductions flagged

Kenya is coming under scrutiny for alleged abductions of political protesters on home soil and its apparent willingness to assist neighbouring countries kidnap dissenters, with the issue being highlighted by two high-profile cases (see stories below) and now flagged in the latest Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, released on Thursday. Legalbrief writes that the HRW report has flagged undemocratic practices in several African countries, with African governments continuing to crack down and wrongly arrest political opponents, critics, activists and journalists. According to VoA News, the rights group also said armed forces and armed groups in some African countries have targeted civilians, killing them and driving them from their homes. The conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia feature prominently in the report. The report says that in Sudan, the war between the armed forces and the rebel Rapid Support Forces has displaced 12m people, destroyed infrastructure and blocked humanitarian assistance. In Ethiopia, rights group investigators found that government forces in the Amhara region committed widespread attacks against medical professionals, patients and health facilities. Mausi Segun, head of the Human Rights Watch Africa division, said armed conflict was not the only form of rights violation on the continent. ‘On top of all of that, you have civic space restriction abuses, including intolerance for freedom of expression, intolerance for freedom of association and assembly,’ Segun said. ‘Protests are being clamped down on, and people who are pushing for their rights or even commenting on government policies and measures are being hunted down. Here in East Africa, we are seeing very disturbing trends towards abductions.’ Kenya has captured the attention of human rights groups for recent alleged abductions of anti-government protesters and activists from foreign countries, some of whom have been deported to Turkey and Uganda.

The HRW report also focuses on the seemingly endless conflict in the Congo, where civilians are killed, women raped, and attacks on camps for the internally displaced push more people into neighbouring countries. Congo has accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels, an allegation Rwanda denies, reports VoA News. Clementine de Montoye, Human Rights Watch senior researcher, said the expansion of conflict worsens civilians' harm, adding 'we are not seeing significant signs of pressure on the different parties to the conflict to reduce violations and harms to civilians.’ The report says that countries in West Africa ruled by the military –  like Burkina Faso and Mali – have cracked down on opposition and dissent, freedom of expression, and backsliding in the fight against corruption. It notes that in Southern Africa, Mozambique is grappling with post-election violence in which hundreds of people have been killed. HRW’s newly-released World Report reviewed human rights records of more than 100 countries, including 25 in Africa. Despite the widespread abuses and violence against people in Africa, HRW notes that, like the rest of the world, African people are resisting and pushing back against autocratic rule and abuse of their rights. It notes they are mobilising on social media and streets to demand an end to the abuses and bad governance that has contributed to divisions and conflict among communities.

Full VoA News report

A Kenyan Government Minister has alleged that the country's National Intelligence Agency was behind the abduction of his son last year and that President William Ruto secured his release. This as criticism against the rising cases of abductions continues, reports BBC News. Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi said that it took a call by Ruto to have his son released by the National Intelligence Service. Muturi is the first member of the Cabinet to publicly criticise the government's handling of the spate of abductions in Kenya. In a statement to the police crime investigations unit on Tuesday, Muturi gave a detailed account of how his son, Leslie, was abducted on 22 June last year. Ruto and the intelligence agency have not commented on his allegations. At least 80 people, including the Minister's son, have been abducted in the past six months, according to a state-funded rights group. The wave of abductions started after protests against tax hikes last June, and have continued since then. Some of those abducted have been released following public pressure. Earlier this week, the Minister told journalists that he had not received answers about the abduction of his son, despite reaching out to top security officials.

Muturi said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) subsequently urged him to record a statement with them, telling him the matter was still under investigation. In his statement to the DCI, Muturi recalled calling the Inspector-General of Police, the Interior Minister, the DCI head, the head of the intelligence agency and other top officials as he desperately looked for his son – but, he added, all were unable to help. He said that he also messaged Ruto, but later decided to visit his official residence to raise the matter directly with him. Foreign nationals have also been abducted, including prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who on Monday narrated how she was kidnapped by armed men and released several hours later. In an earlier BBC News report, it stated that the Kenyan Law Society had arranged for her release. Last year, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was also kidnapped in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, allegedly by Ugandan security officials, and taken across the border. He is currently facing a Military Court trial. According to a previous report in The Monitor, his aide, Obeid Lutale, is also face charges related to security, and being in unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

Second BBC News report

Full report in The Monitor

First BBC News report

Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who was abducted by armed men in Kenya, was released hours after the incident. Amnesty International Kenya spokesperson Roland Ebole told the BBC she was ‘forced’ into a vehicle in the capital Nairobi last Sunday afternoon. Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing ‘tyranny back’ to the country. The Law Society of Kenya president, Faith Odhiambo, said on X they had managed to arrange her release. ‘We are sending a warning. We will not allow our country to be used as a haven for picking up individuals,’ she said. Neither Kenyan nor Tanzanian officials have commented. Tsehai is a fierce advocate for land rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania. There have been concerns that Tanzania could be returning to the repressive rule of the late President Magufuli. Last year, dozens of opposition were arrested and some were brutally killed. One senior opposition leader died after being doused in acid.

Human Rights Watch described the rise in arrests of opposition activists as a ‘bad sign’ ahead of the 2025 Presidential elections, which will take place in October. Change Tanzania, a movement founded by Tsehai, said in a statement on X, they believed she was taken by Tanzanian security agents ‘operating beyond Tanzania borders to silence government legitimate criticism’. Kenya has a history of enabling foreign governments to abduct its citizens and carry out forcible extraditions, breaching international law. Last year, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was allegedly kidnapped in Nairobi by Ugandan security officials and taken across the border for trial by a court martial. The Ugandan Government said Kenya helped them in the operation, but the Kenyan Government denied this. Ebole told the BBC ‘it might be another repeat’ of Besigye's situation. Internally, Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, following last year's youth-led protests against a series of planned tax rises. A state-funded rights group saying that over 80 people have been abducted in the past six months.

See also Regional News

Full BBC News report