NIS behind abductions, CS Muturi alleges

Public Service CS Justin Muturi. [Benard Orwongo,Standard]] A sitting Cabinet Secretary has issued the strongest indication that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is behind the wave of abduction witnessed in the country since the Gen Z demos last year. Public Service Justin Muturi yesterday blamed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and its boss Noordin Haji for the abduction of his son Leslie Muturi. According to the CS, it took the intervention of President William Ruto to have Leslie freed after Haji ignored his calls and those of Deputy President Kindiki Kithure when he served as Interior CS. As of this time, Muturi was the country's Attorney General. Leslie was abducted at around 9:30 pm by hooded gunmen from his vehicle on his way to a party in Lavington along with Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenye and Marangu Imanyara on June 22, 2024. Muturi says that he called then Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome and Principal Secretary Raymond Omolloasked for their help in tracing Leslie, who assured him they would. "I also attempted to reach the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mr. Mohamed Amin, but his phone went unanswered. I tried calling the NIS DG Nordin Haji, but he did not answer either," reads Muturi's statement to the DCI. After an hour, he called Koome, who told him that he had alerted all personnel on all routes as the police suspected it was a robbery incident. "However, I told him that based on the information provided by Mwenje, the abductors appeared to be security personnel rather than robbers. He seemed unconvinced, stating that there was no planned police operation that night." Muturi said that he called Omollo, who said they were looking for him but insisted it was a carjacking incident. In the statement to the police, Muturi says that they called Citizen TV to release CCTV footage that captured two vehicles that followed his son's car. According to the CS, he sent WhatsApp messages to the President at around 3 am, informing him that his son had been abducted. Armed with information on the vehicles they believed had taken Leslie, Muturi says he contacted the head of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, Said Kiprotich, who did not answer his calls. He also contacted Amin's deputy, John Onyango, who said he did not know of any police operation that night but would look into the matter. The ATPU boss, Kiprotich, called back, saying that his officers did not have Leslie in custody and there was no ongoing operation. After getting no information on his whereabouts, Muturi says that he decided to call Haji after information from the NIS friend that they were holding his son. "Despite multiple attempts, he did not answer." Muturi said that he decided to call Kindiki, who expressed shock over the allegation that NIS was holding Leslie but promised to get back and when he did, he said that Haji told him they did not have Leslie. "Despite my insistence that I had confirmed information from a NIS officer, Prof. Kindiki maintained that the DG could not be lying." The following day, on Sunday, June 23, President Ruto had not read the message Muturi sent him, and when he saw choppers that he assumed were carrying him, he rushed to State House. When he got there, he found out that the head of state had been in a meeting with MPs, including Mwangi Kiunjuri and John Kawanjiku. He said he informed him about the message and his belief that NIS held Leslie. "The President joked, asking why anyone would want to arrest a young person over the GenZ demonstrations. He even mentioned that Kiunjuri's son and the sons of other officials had been involved in similar demonstrations." He said that Ruto complained about his phone not functioning properly due to the number of messages he was receiving. "Standing outside the pavilion, I heard the President ask Noordin Haji if he was holding my son, Noordin confirmed that, indeed, he was holding my son, and the President instructed him to release Leslie immediately. Noordin responded that Leslie would be released within an hour," said Muturi. "Slightly over an hour later, Leslie called me to say he had been released and was at home. I then went home to see him."

NIS behind abductions, CS Muturi alleges

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