Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - Former Chief Justice David Maraga and People’s Liberation Party leader, Martha Karua, have strongly condemned President William Ruto’s recent comments regarding abductions and enforced disappearances in Kenya.
In separate statements issued on Tuesday, May 13th,
the two leaders criticised President Ruto for what they described as a casual
admission of past abductions, particularly those recorded in 2023, without
acknowledging the suffering endured by the victims and their families.
Maraga specifically took issue with Ruto’s claim that no
ongoing abductions exist and his assurance that such incidents would be
eradicated.
He cited the unresolved case of Brian Odhiambo, who
disappeared while allegedly in the custody of Kenya Wildlife Service officers.
“It is unconscionable to hear the President claim, without
any apology, that there are no ongoing enforced disappearances and that
accountability mechanisms are in place,” Maraga said.
“Brian
Odhiambo’s mother continues to search for her son, who was abducted four months
ago.”
“There
are many other similar cries for justice as we have seen in the petition
launched on Mother’s Day by the parents of youth killed during the protests in
June 2024.” He added.
He further demanded that the Government implement
recommendations from the May 1st Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in
Geneva, which called for impartial investigations into excessive force used
during protests and urged accountability.
Maraga also called for the ratification of the International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Karua, on her part, demanded that President Ruto acknowledge
the role of security forces in the alleged abductions and extrajudicial
killings.
Citing the recent BBC documentary Blood Parliament,
she urged the Government to hold accountable those security officers caught on
camera.
“Now
that William Ruto has acknowledged abductions, he needs to go further and
acknowledge extrajudicial killings and disappearances and the role of security
forces in this, and take steps to have the culprits, including those captured
in the BBC documentary, held accountable,” she said.
President Ruto made the controversial remarks on May 12th,
stating that all victims had been reunited with their families and vowing an
end to such violations.
This comes after ten Kenyan civil society groups released a
report titled Brutal Policing: 2024 Annual Report, documenting 159 cases
of extrajudicial killings and disappearances, with 104 linked to police
officers.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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