DCI says probe over missing Wajir MCA underway

 

Della Member of County Assembly in Wajir County was allegedely abducted by unknown men along Enterprise Road in Nairobi. [Mohammed Saman, Standard]

It is now close to a month since Della MCA Yusuf Hussein Ahmed went missing and his whereabouts remain unknown.

But the family, through lawyer Danston Omari, believe Ahmed was abducted by police officers who however deny involvement.

According to Omari, the MCA’s relatives are worried about his safety after embattled Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua sensationally claimed the State was actively carrying out extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances.

Della Ward is Eldas Constituency of Wajir County where Ahmed is said to have immense influence over local politics with those close to him saying he is eyeing the governor seat in 2027.

The Leader of the Minority in the County Assembly was reportedly abducted by armed people in Nairobi on September 13 at night along Enterprise Road while heading to Pangani from South C.

Last week after Judge Alexander Muteti directed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to produce the MCA, his relatives recorded a statement at the Industrial Area Police Station.

Abdulkadir Abdullahi Ahmed told the court that his cousin was forcefully from a taxi he had boarded from South C to Pangani.

“His whereabouts remain unknown and unaccounted for, and there is reasonable fear that he was abducted by officers attached to IG and DCI,” he said in court papers.

Following a spate of abductions in the country, Ahmed’s relatives are worried that their kin could be in danger. The fear has been stirred by comments made by Gachagua on Monday night.

In a televised address from his Karen residence, the DP accused police of misleading President William Ruto that there were no abductions in the country.

“Because I am a truthful person, I will say what is wrong when it happens and even though I am compelled by the principle of collective responsibility to be part and parcel of every decision made by the government, I will continue to do so only those decisions that are constitutional and within the rule of the law,” said Gachagua.

Following the DP’s claims that the government was responsible for disappearances and extrajudicial killings, the MCA’s family what a disclosure of the matter.

“To date, the government seem not bothered to tell us his whereabouts yet from accounts from Kioko (taxi driver), my client was abducted by people carrying AK 47 rifles who identified themselves as police officers,” lawyer Omari told The Standard.

Omari linked Ahmed’s disappearance to the succession politics of 2027, claiming that some people in Wajir County are not comfortable with his fast-rising popularity in the county.

“Politics of succession in Wajir must be the root cause of his disappearance. He is a threat, and likely to contest for the governor seat in 2027,” said the lawyer.

According to Kioko, the taxi, they were trailed by a block car that blocked them before five armed men pulled Ahmed out. The MCA was bundled into a black Prado vehicle that sped off.

While distancing police from accusations of human rights violations, Director of Criminal Investigation Mohammed Amin said investigations about Ahmed’s whereabouts are ongoing.

“The National Police Service is not involved in any extra-judicial killings or enforced disappearances whatsoever. As law enforcement officers, we respect and observe the constitutional standards of human rights and fundamental freedoms. As for the missing Wajir MCA, the matter is under active investigation,” said the DCI boss.