Opinion

By Vivere Nandiemo | 17 hours ago

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi’s revelation of the circumstances surrounding the abduction of his son Leslie Muturi, in June, 2024 is yet another damning indictment on President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government. In a statement to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Tuesday, Mr Muturi revealed how his son was abducted by people he says he has every reason to believe were National Intelligence Service (NIS) operatives.

Muturi’s account of the abduction left Kenyans gob-smacked as did his frantic efforts to appeal to the key figures within the security system to secure the release of his son in vain. From the then Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, DCI boss Mohamed Amin, NIS director Noordin Haji to the then Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, it is apparent that Muturi reached out to the who is who in government for the sake of his son. It took the intervention of the President, who directly called Mr Haji, to release Muturi’s son.

This revelation lifts the lid on the intricacies around the worrying trend of abductions and raises pertinent issues. The questions on the lips of Kenyans are: If someone of the stature of Muturi, who was then serving as the Attorney General, could go through such a harrowing ordeal in the hands of fellow government operatives, then what is the fate of average Kenyans?

Given that majority of Kenyans are not privileged to have the unfettered access to the President that Muturi enjoys, to whom can they turn for intervention when faced with State-sanctioned injustice?

If the statement by CS Muturi is anything to go by, then it lends credence to the growing perception of government’s culpability and outright dereliction of its cardinal duty of protecting citizens in the midst of the raging spate of abductions.

That the President could call the NIS director, who Muturi claims ignored his calls and text messages, indeed, confirms that Muturi’s son was being held by NIS operatives and points to the fact that the government was aware of the abductions. Kenyans wants answers. Kenyans are wondering whether the President was aware of the abductions for him to have ordered the immediate release of CS Muturi’s son. 

Surprisingly, several months later and to Muturi’s chagrin, no investigation has been conducted and his family is yet to be told what crime their kin had committed.

As Chinua Achebe once opined, if an alligator comes out of the water and tells you that the crocodile is sick, do you doubt him? Muturi has clearly exposed the soft underbelly of the Kenya Kwanza regime, especially on the issue of alleged human rights violation.

Muturi broke ranks with fellow government insiders and allied politicians who have been defending the Kenya Kwanza administration against accusations of abduction and forced disappearances. He called on the government, which he is part of, to end the menace.

It is unfortunate that the government-allied politicians, who are now calling for Muturi’s resignation because of his uncharacteristic stand, continue to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that all is well.

Even more appalling are the politicians’ sentiments that insinuate that the abductions and forced disappearances were rampant in the previous administration, hence appearing to justify the despicable state of affairs on grounds that it has been there all a long. 

What is increasingly becoming apparent is that there could be more to CS Muturi’s revelations than actually meets the eye. 

As this issue rages on, the spotlight is once again on Mr Haji, the country’s spy master. Indeed, questions abound on what is his role in the abductions. It is quite disturbing that the man who is bestowed with the all-important role of securing Kenyans through intelligence gathering is adversely mentioned in the arbitrary abduction of a Kenyan. 

It is worth noting that this is not the first time Haji is being thrust into the limelight. At the height of the Gen Z protests last year, the then deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, cast aspersions on Haji. Mr Gachagua sensationally claimed that Haji was to blame for the protests as he had allegedly failed to furnish the President with sufficient intelligence.