KHRC Calls For Resignation of Dp Kindiki, Murkomen, Sudi Among Ruto Allies[LIST]; Reasons Why

Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) calls for the resignation of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa, Tiaty MP William Kamket, Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi and Sirisia MP John Waluke for their support of state-sanctioned abductions.

The Press Statement Read

The last seven months have tested Kenya’s democracy and rule of law and plunged it into an abyss so deep that it may take the country years to recover.

William Ruto’s administration looks more isolated with each passing day as his regime continues with a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy advocates.

Ruto and politicians allied to him have been making statements justifying the abductions of government critics in operations that have resulted in extrajudicial killings.

These abductions escalated in 2024, a year that saw parliament breached on June 25 by youth protesting oppressive laws, when the pressure for increased accountability surged.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), and other partners operated a joint situation room to monitor police abuses during the same period, marked by a wave of Gen-Z protests. KNCHR reports that 82 youths have been abducted since June, with 29 still missing.

Media outlets today confirmed the release of five of the six youths abducted in December—Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, Rony Kiplangat, and Kibet Bull—for sharing satirical images of William Ruto or linked to those who issued the photos. However, the whereabouts of blogger Steve Mbisi remain unknown.

Conflicting and sycophantic comments and statements by state officers, including implicit endorsement of abductions as a legitimate response to alleged violation of the law, point to the reasonable likelihood that the rampant abductions are state-sponsored. State security agents have publicly denied involvement, while Ruto has acknowledged their participation, saying his administration will “stop the abductions.” In his New Year’s message, Ruto conceded: “It cannot be denied that there have been instances of excessive and extrajudicial actions by members of the security services.”

What they said

Kimani Ichung’wa, the majority leader in the National Assembly, supported false claims by COTU’s Francis Atwoli, that abductees were faking their abductions for financial gain. In what appeared to be an attempt to divert attention, Ichung’wa made startling claims about abductions and killings during president Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure, accusing a governor of orchestrating a scheme that led to dozens of missing persons’ bodies dumped in River Yala. Ichung’wa and Atwoli spoke in Bungoma on January 3 during the requiem mass of the mother of National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula.

During the same service, Amason Kingi, the senate speaker, said that the government would resort to brutal tactics to firmly deal with youthful critics, blaming their behavior on a “lack of parental guidance.” He warned parents not to wail over their children when the government “takes action.”

Sirisia MP John Waluke sensationally claimed abductions were “fabricated stories to tarnish the reputation” of Ruto’s administration despite overwhelming evidence that security forces were involved. He spoke in Bungoma on January 3.

Tiaty MP William Kamket dismissed those calling for Ruto’s resignation through online satire as “lazy bones in bed” and warned that his side could extend Ruto’s term without facing any consequences. He made these remarks during the Kerio Valley interdenominational prayers at Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet, on January 5.

At the same event, Oscar Sudi, the Kapsaret MP, openly supported the abduction of those sharing Ruto’s AI-generated satirical images. He said that, if he were the Interior CS, it would only take him three days to deal with those creating and sharing Ruto’s silhouette images through authoritarian actions.

These threats followed a denial from Kipchumba Murkomen, the Interior CS, that no abductions and extrajudicial killings were happening under Ruto’s watch. Murkomen’s statement trivializes the executions of young people who exercise their right to freedom of expression in agitation against a regime that is miserably failing them. He spoke in Bungoma on December 27.

These politicians seemed to have taken a cue from deputy president Kindiki Kithure, who, in September of last year, justified the use of excessive force by police against unarmed protesters, leading to deaths and abductions. Kithure made these remarks during his appearance before the National Assembly’s security and administration committee.

Laws violated

The comments these politicians made violated our constitution. State officers are bound by the national values and principles of governance, which include human rights, the rule of law and democracy as espoused in Article 10 of the constitution. Article 9 declares that the principles in article 10 apply to all state officers when making, interpreting and applying laws and policies. Further, article 19 expects governance and leadership that is human rights-based for which the cited state officers have abrogated.

These state officers have terribly failed the constitutional expectations of leadership and integrity under chapter six of our constitution. Additionally, article 73 states that authority entrusted to a state officer, such as these politicians, is a public trust. It must be exercised in a manner consistent with the constitution’s purposes and objectives, demonstrating respect for the people, upholding the nation’s honor and the dignity of the office, and promoting public confidence in its integrity.

The abductions, which the human rights movement fights to stop, have severely undermined fundamental rights, including the right to life, human dignity, freedom and security of the person, and freedom of conscience, religion, belief and opinion. They have also violated freedoms of expression, assembly, demonstration, picketing, and petition, as well as the rights to fair administrative action, access to justice, and protections for arrested individuals.

Abductions can never be justifiable

In his New Year’s message, Ruto said that “every freedom has its limits and that public safety and order must always supersede the desire for unchecked liberty.” KHRC reminds him that freedom of opinion and expression, which his regime and its supporters are hell-bent on curtailing, is the cornerstone of every free and democratic society.

Any limitation on freedom of expression and opinion must be done lawfully. Article 24 states that “a right or fundamental freedom in the Bill of Rights shall not be limited except by law, and then only to the extent that the limitation is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.”

The arbitrary arrests, abductions, forced disappearances, torture, threats to life and killings that we have witnessed in the recent past can never be justifiable as a response to alleged breaches of the law in the open and democratic society that Kenya is.

Resignation

The KHRC warns the leaders mentioned in this statement and others that we are meticulously documenting all their public utterances that support the ongoing breakdown of the rule of law in Kenya, as exemplified by these abductions. At the right time, we are confident that they will all be held accountable.

Further, the KHRC demands the immediate resignation of Ichung’wa, Kingi, Kamket, Sudi, Murkomen, Waluke, and Kindiki from their state offices over their utterances supporting abductions. We also demand the resignation of inspector-general of police, Douglas Kanja, as abductions occurred under his watch.

Additionally, the KHRC calls for an impartial and thorough investigation into their statements and potential involvement in the abductions and extrajudicial killings of state critics. Those found culpable must face prosecution and be permanently barred from holding state or public office.

ALSO READ: Gov’t Releases 2025 Academic Calendar For Pre- Primary, Primary and Secondary Schools

KHRC Calls For Resignation of Dp Kindiki, Murkomen, Sudi Among Ruto Allies[LIST]; Reasons Why