NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 3 – Three Kitengela activists abducted and later released in September 2024 after spending thirty-two days in detention now claim security agents are monitoring their movements.
The three — Bob Njagi, Jamil Longton, and Aslam Longton — said unknown vehicles have been trailing them and sometimes park outside their residences overnight.
The trio, in a press conference on Sunday, decried inaction despite filing a report at Kitengela Police Station on January 29 on an assault incident.
“For months, we have agonized over whether to share the continuing threats we face since our release. Today, we choose to speak out not for ourselves, but for others who continue to face the same,” said Bob Njagi.
“On January 5, 2025, at 6:00 am, I noticed a black Subaru with registration KDP 044J, with black-tinted windows, following me during my morning run in Kitengela,” Njagi recalled a recent incident.
“The same vehicle continues to follow Jamila and Aslam in their different locations on multiple occasions. The car [is] often parked outside their home with its engine running, mostly around 10:00 pm. When they approach the occupants of the vehicle, they speed away,” he said.
Suit against the State
The trio suspects that the court case accusing the State of forced disappearances and deaths may be linked to the surveillance and harassment.
Others who took part in the press conference include Dancan Kyalo and Monicah Mwende, both relatives of Kenyans whose bodies were found after going missing for months.
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Defenders Coalition, and the Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) joined the news conference.
Dancan Kyalo, a brother of the late Justus Mutumwa, whose body was found on January 30 after months of searching, said numerous threatening calls from an unknown caller forced him to relocate.
“Fearing for my safety, I had no choice but to relocate and live in constant fear of further retaliation. I am devastated by the tragic end to my brother’s search,” he said.
“On January 30, shortly after Kanja and Amin appeared in court, we found his body at the Nairobi Funeral Home. His forehead had deep cuts, his eyes [had been] pierced, and his lips were cut. His wrists bore visible marks, indicating they had been tightly bound,” he said.
Monicah Mwende, a sister of Kalani Mwema, who went missing on December 17 and whose body was found on January 30, 2025, said that before they found the deceased, she had received numerous calls asking her to be discreet.
“He also warned me to keep this information to myself or risk my brother ending up in a morgue. Holding onto hope, I waited for his release,” she said.
Call for action
The rise of abductions in various parts of the country has sparked public outrage, with the public condemning the act and urging President William Ruto to intervene and help put an end to the abductions.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, who has become a vocal critic of the ongoing abductions, proposed a Public Commission of Inquiry into the root cause of the recent spate of abductions, saying the trend will plunge the country into ‘chaos and anarchy.’
He stated that the inquiry team should include stakeholders from all sectors.
Muturi urged President William Ruto not to turn a blind eye to the matter, saying the increasing number of abductions and extrajudicial killings is alarming and requires an urgent response.
“The buck must stop somewhere—in this case, with the President and Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, Mr. President, I am calling upon you now to order an end to these abductions and extrajudicial killings, which you promised, and to open an inquiry into how these things have been happening,” Muturi said.
