Lawyer missing amid rising fear of abductions against state critics

 Lawyer John Eric Wesonga alias Lavani Milam. [Courtesy]

The family of lawyer John Eric Wesonga alias Lavani Milam together and activists, have called for his return after he was abducted by unknown people in Ruaka, Kiambu county.

According to his family, Wesonga, a vocal government critic, was picked up on October 29, at 3:30pm and his mobile phone switched off.

Addressing the media Wednesday, his family and friends said they were notified of his abduction by his expectant wife, and they have since searched all police stations in Ruaka, and he is nowhere to be found.

“We do not know his whereabouts, we do not know where he is whether he is alive or not. We just want him to be produced,” said his brother Brian Simiyu.

A family representative, Deborah Nyanchama, said when Wesonga noticed he was being followed, he sent a distress message.

“They [abductors] caught up with him but he was able to record the number plate of the vehicle trailing him and a voice note of his encounter with them,” she said.

Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid said Wesonga was picked up outside a supermarket in Ruaka. “We are telling the government that cases of abductions and extrajudicial killings must cease,” said Khalid.

He said Kenyans will soon hold government officials to account. “We demand immediate release of Wesonga, and we want to let the government know that we will not tolerate any further abductions by either the police or these criminal gangs working in cahoots with the police,” he added.

Wesonga’s abduction was linked to his involvement in politics. His abduction comes barely a few hours after that of activist Boniface Mwangi on Monday, who was later released.

“I can confirm that Boniface Mwangi has been freed with no charges. Wife, children and friends were there during his release,” said Khalid at the station.

Activists and Kenyans online linked his abduction to an online campaign he led that sought to occupy last Sunday’s Stanchart Marathon with protests.

The uproar over increased abductions has been mounting on social media with yet another unresolved disappearance continuing to shake the interwebs. 

Controversial blogger Scophine Aoko Otieno, alias Maverick Aoko who went missing this week, is yet to be traced.

Aoko is known for her controversial posts mostly on X that have attracted a lot of heat on her. Her family insists they do not know her whereabouts hitherto.

Tweeting though her account, Aoko’s aide said on X that her silence or disappearance  can be linked to her recent posts on a powerful figure in government. 

“Two weeks ago, upon her return to Nairobi, she found her main door clobbered at the hinges. She called me panicking. I asked her to take pictures and leave,” the aide said using Aoko’s X account on October 28.

She said Aoko was told by her caretaker and watchmen that some mysterious men were seen hovering around her house days before the break-in.

“After her tweet on Mr. “F” she went incognito, which we (family & friends) thought it normal, perhaps she just wanted to confuse enemies. We still don’t know her whereabouts. Whom do we report to?” added the aide.

This is the last post on the account.

In the same post, she complained that they could not file a report with the police since they had threatened to come after her.

Mwangi is among Kenyans who took on X to ask about her whereabouts saying she had received death threats before she went missing.

Former Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi tweeted “Maverick Aoko should be freed.”

Senior Counsel Paul Muite tweeted calling for her release saying she is guaranteed of her rights by the Constitution. Politicians led by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to tell Kenyans where Aoko was.

Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni also called for her release.

Meanwhile, senators have raised alarm over the continued abductions, faulting government agencies for dragging their feet in implementing reforms.

In a session on Tuesday, the senators questioned why resolutions passed on taming police brutality in July have not been implemented.

At the height of the youth-led uprising against tax hikes and high living costs, the Senate passed a motion seeking an apology from the National Police Service, compensation for victims of police brutality, the withdrawal of cases facing protesters and amnesty.

The Senate also asked the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) to expedite investigations into cases of police brutality and that the police present the revised standard operating procedures on the management of protesters.

“On July 24, 2024, the Senate passed a motion on the current state of the nation. The motion was necessitated by the pressing issues raised during the nationwide protests, which brought to light significant questions affecting our nation,” Speaker Amason Kingi said of the resolutions.

“The demonstrations highlighted the frustrations surrounding the high cost of living, rampant corruption and the opulent lifestyles of public officials that were a stark contrast to the struggles of our people,” added Kingi, seeking the progress of the implementation of the Senate’s resolutions.

Respective agencies were to report to the Senate on the progress of the implementation of the resolutions within 60 days.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna questioned the reluctance of State agencies to implement the resolutions, even as he called out rights abuses. “There continues to be abductions by unknown people suspected to be security officers across the country. Even as we speak, there is the famous case of Maverick Aoko who has been missing for a few days,” said Sifuna.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua said the police service should answer for their excesses. “I expected that the new IG (Douglas Kanja) first call of duty would have been to apologise to Kenyans,” said Wambua.

“We woke up to a very scary report on how police officers are accessing private communication through mobile phones and using that information to track down Kenyans for arrests,” he added.