The rising wave of abductions and extrajudicial actions in Kenya has sparked widespread alarm, with Embakasi North MP James Gakuya warning that the country is treading a dangerous path.
“We cannot have a civilian government where extrajudicial killings and disappearances are the order of the day,” Gakuya stated, decrying what he views as a systematic erosion of constitutional order.
His remarks come amid growing public concern over the fate of missing persons, many reportedly abducted in circumstances linked to state operatives.
The MP took issue with President William Ruto’s recent statement that abducted individuals had been reunited with their families. “The President is on record telling Kenyans that the abducted people are back to their families—while that is not the case,” Gakuya said.
He termed the contradiction a sign of either government misinformation or deliberate concealment.
Citing the case of former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi’s son—whose release was secured through a single call to the head of intelligence—Gakuya suggested that state authorities are fully aware of what is happening.
“This means the government is very aware,” he said, indicating complicity or selective application of justice.
On June 25 protests
He regretted the June 25, 2025, demonstrations, which he said started well but were later infiltrated by goons linked to the top politicians with selfish interests. He added that the youths are being used in a wrong way, and many were killed and raped, and destruction of property was witnessed.
“Do not mute our youths by performing extrajudicial killings; hear their grievances and advocate for their rights. We have freedom as entitled by our constitution.”
He also raised concern over the conduct of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), saying, “Intelligence are doing what is not their work… they are made to just spy, not arrest.” Gakuya warned that blurring the lines between intelligence gathering and enforcement could lead to unchecked power and impunity.
Gakuya further condemned what he described as a “shoot-to-kill” order allegedly issued by a Cabinet Secretary. “Kipchumba Murkomen, you are claiming you are a lawyer, and you know what it means by telling the police to shoot,” he remarked, questioning the rule of law under such directives.
“Are we in Haiti or Kenya? Are we under military rule? Are we safe?” he posed, capturing the public’s unease over state accountability. Gakuya called on the president to come clean and reassure the country.
Without transparent investigations by institutions such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Gakuya warned, public trust will continue to erode—threatening the very foundations of Kenya’s democracy.
