Aslam Longton, one of the three young men infamously known as the ‘Kitengela 3’, has come forward with a chilling account of what he endured during his 32-day abduction.
He has detailed acts of cruelty, mental anguish, and dehumanising torture that he says were sanctioned because of their activism.
Aslam, who was speaking during the official launch of the People’s Restorative Justice Commission (PRJC) at Ufungamano House on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, revealed that he and his brother were abducted in August 2024 and held for over a month in undisclosed locations where they were subjected to inhumane treatment, including forced nudity, beatings, and extreme isolation.
“My name is Aslam Longton, one of the Kitengela Three. We were abducted by this state because we stood against corruption and bad leadership and because we demanded justice and equal opportunities for the youth of this country. We wanted change, not for ourselves alone, but for every young Kenyan out there who is struggling to find a place in this system,” Aslam said.
Longton revealed that the operation to take him was executed with alarming brutality.
He narrated how unknown men emerged with guns, seized him, blindfolded him, cuffed his hands behind his back, and ferried him away in a Subaru.
He said they were shuffled between multiple vehicles before being locked away in a location he described as unfit for any human being.
“Where we were taken, the conditions were cruel and beastly. We were ordered to strip completely naked and remain that way. There were no beds, no lights, and no sense of time. We were left to suffer in silence, completely isolated, as if we were animals being broken,” he said.
Longton added that during the 32 days of disappearance, he was not aware that fellow activist Bob Njagi had also been abducted. He said his family was tormented by the uncertainty of whether he was alive or dead, while he himself endured a nightmare of mental and emotional torture, never knowing what would happen next.
“That kind of darkness changes you. The mental torture, the humiliation of being stripped naked, and the fear of never coming out — that is the pain my family and I carried for those 32 days,” he noted.
Bernard Kavuli’s ordeal
Also sharing his testimony at the event was Bernard Kavuli, another victim who was abducted in the same period alongside protester Billy Mwangi. Kavuli said his ordeal mirrored that of Longton.
He recounted how he, too, was stripped naked, physically assaulted, and barely fed.
He said the abductors made it clear that their mission was to defend the presidency at all costs — even if it meant taking lives.
“My experience and that of Billy were the same. We were stripped, beaten, and only fed on rare occasions. At one point, one of the abductors told me that their job was to protect the presidency under any circumstance, even if that meant someone had to die,” he said.
Despite the trauma, Kavuli declared that their activism would not be silenced by violence or intimidation. He said they were more determined than ever to continue speaking truth to power, calling for justice, accountability, and genuine change for young Kenyans.
