Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. | FILE/OPCS

The former Prime Minister of Kenya and a contender for a top position at the African Union, has strongly condemned the ongoing abductions in Kenya, calling them “primitive and unacceptable.”

A Kenyan media outlet reported on Wednesday, December 25, that Raila Odinga expressed concern over the rising number of abductions in 2024, warning that they could threaten the country’s security if not addressed quickly.

He emphasized that such acts have no place in modern society and called on the government to take immediate action to stop them, ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.

“This year has been tough for Kenya. We’ve had protests, and many innocent lives have been lost,” Odinga said. “But we must also address the alarming increase in abductions of innocent people. It is unacceptable, and it must stop.”

Odinga emphasized that people should not disappear without explanation or be held without communication. He called on the government to take these crimes seriously and ensure that everyone in the country can live safely.

“We cannot go back to the days of forced disappearances. This is a primitive and unacceptable practice,” he added.

Other leaders have also expressed their concerns. Mombasa Catholic Archbishop Martin Kivuva warned that the abductions threaten peace ahead of the 2027 General Election. In his Christmas sermon, he described the situation as reminiscent of the colonial era, where people were punished for simply speaking their minds.

“The abductions of people for expressing themselves are taking us back to the days before independence,” Kivuva said. “This is not good for building confidence in the future, especially among our young generation.”

Anglican Archbishop Ole Sapit also condemned the abductions, urging those responsible to stop their actions. He expressed solidarity with the families of those who have been abducted and called for an investigation into their whereabouts.

“We stand with the families who are crying for their loved ones,” said Archbishop Ole Sapit. “Let us act responsibly and show that we care for the future of this nation.”

The call for action comes after several recent abductions. Three people were abducted last week alone. Benard Kavuli, a 24-year-old, was taken from a petrol station in Ngong Town on Sunday evening by armed men in a white Probox. His abduction is believed to be linked to his critical social media posts regarding the government and the 2007 post-election violence.

The day before, Peter Muteti and Billy Mwangi were also abducted in Uthiru and Embu, respectively, by armed men. CCTV footage captured the moment Muteti was abducted while shopping in a supermarket.

Non-Kenyans have also fallen victim to the recent abductions in Kenya, fueling public outrage. Many citizens are now calling on the government to take swift action to end the abductions and hold those responsible accountable.

Abductions of South Sudanese nationals 

According to Human Rights Watch, many South Sudanese activists and government critics have been victims of abductions in Kenya since the outbreak of the war in 2013.

In 2019, the United Nations panel of experts concluded that the two South Sudanese — lawyer Dong Samuel Luak and human rights activist Aggrey Ezbon Idri — were abducted from Nairobi to Juba and killed in South Sudan on January 30, 2017.

The Kenyan and South Sudan governments have both denied involvement in or knowledge of, the disappearances of Aggrey and Dong.

In November 2016, Kenya deported James Gatdet Dak, a South Sudanese opposition spokesman and registered refugee, back to South Sudan, where he was subsequently detained by the government.

His account, which has been shared with a United Nations Commission of Inquiry, asserts that high-level Kenyan authorities collaborated with South Sudan’s government to seize him from his Nairobi home in November 2016 and force him onto a plane for deportation to a country where he feared for his life.

Human rights groups and the United Nations called the move a breach of international law.

The deportation came amid a dispute between Kenya and the United Nations over the UN’s sacking of a Kenyan general in charge of a peacekeeping mission that failed to protect civilians during unrest in South Sudan earlier this year.

There is suspicion that Dak’s Facebook post expressing support for the firing of the general – who led UN forces accused of responding poorly to attacks that killed dozens of civilians in July – was a major cause for his forced return.

Kenya has responded angrily to the sacking, noting Lieutenant-General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki had been on the job for just three weeks when the July attacks occurred.

Nairobi has also announced it is withdrawing its 1,000 peacekeepers from South Sudan and pulling out of its peace process, in which it has played a key role as one of South Sudan’s neighbours.

Fifteen months into his prison term, Dak was charged with treason and sentenced to death.

The peace deal saved him. Two years to the day after he said he was kidnapped in Nairobi, he was released with another opposition member, William Endley, a South African former defence colonel.

In April 2021, Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak, a vocal critic of South Sudan’s government went missing in Kenya after allegedly being abducted by men in police uniform in Nairobi.

Reports say he was deported to Juba, South Sudan, on the night of February 4, hours after his arrest from his rented house in Nairobi.

In November 2024, the National Security Service (NSS) released him, months after a Juba high court granted him bail. His release comes nearly two years after his arrest and detention.