NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 10 – Lawyers and activists have presented a petition to the government demanding respect for the rule of law following increased cases of abductions and enforced disappearance.
The petition was presented to the Attorney General and Inspector General of Police after protests held on Wednesday in Nairobi.
The protests were organised by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) alongside other human rights organisations under the theme “Purple Ribbon Campaign Week”.
“Advocates have a duty to take all forms of cases and represent their clients without fear of intimidation or even loss of life during their line of work,” said Mercy Wambua, LSK Chief Executive Officer.
The demonstrations followed the abduction of lawyer and muslim scholar Prof. Hassan Nandwa who went missing for two weeks before he was dumped in a thicket on November 9.
Nandwa went missing when he went to report to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) about the disappearance of his client Elgiva Bwire, who had just been released after serving a lengthy sentence at the Kamiti Maximum Prison on terror-related charges.
Bwire remains at large and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has placed a Sh10 million bounty on his head alongside four other terror suspects, describing them as dangerous, and planning to plot attacks.
“As LSK we don’t condone crime, but a suspect has a right of representation by according to the law. We advocate constitutionalism and speedy investigation of pending enforced disappearances cases,” she said.
LSK chairman Nairobi caucus Eric Theuri faulted Attorney General Kihara Kariuki for his silence on the pattern of advocates being intimated and others being killed for offering legal services to their clients.
Theuri says the AG should advice the government and security agencies, to abandon the policy of abduction and enforced disappearance of its citizens and instead, enhance its investigative capacity.
“This country cannot be ruled by the rule of man. The AG should be the first to come out in solidarity with his colleagues to say that advocates should not be intimidated in their line of work. The AG should advise the security agencies,” he said.
Human right defenders who were part of the peaceful protest urged all Kenyans to join the movement against enforced disappearances and killingSs, warning that the country is slowly becoming a “police state.”
“Kenya is becoming a rotten society. We must speak up and say no to torture and extrajudicial killings. We want to tell the president, IG and Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi that we will get justice either during your time or after your time,” said Khalid Hussein, the Executive Director of Haki Africa.
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