The Former Secretary-General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Wilson Sossion, has joined the growing calls for a public inquiry into cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the country.
Speaking during an interview on a local TV station on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Sossion emphasised the urgent need for transparency and accountability within the security sector.
“Holding police to account for security is non-negotiable,” Sossion stated firmly. As a country, we must institute public inquests into all cases of extrajudicial killings, abductions, and bodies found in River Yala and Shakahola,” he stated.
His remarks add to those made recently by former Cabinet Secretary for Interior Security, Fred Matiang’i, who also urged the government to initiate formal inquiries into these grave concerns, arguing that public inquests remain the most effective way to address what he described as a national crisis.
The former KNUT boss echoed these sentiments, stressing that silence in the face of such violations undermines the rule of law.
“There is no excuse for the continued disappearance of citizens or the discovery of bodies in rivers and forests. The government owes the public answers.”
Sossion said the country could no longer afford to ignore the alarming trend of enforced disappearances and the discovery of bodies in areas such as River Yala and Shakahola forest.
He noted that the failure to address these incidents undermines both public trust in law enforcement and the nation’s commitment to human rights.
“There is no justification for a government to turn a blind eye when its citizens go missing or are found dead under mysterious circumstances. These are not isolated incidents—they point to a pattern that must be investigated transparently and thoroughly,” he said.
Matiangi’s inquest
The Former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, for the first time, responded to calls for investigations into the deaths of individuals allegedly killed and dumped in River Yala during his tenure.
Speaking at Kenyatta National Hospital, where he accompanied Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka to visit victims of the Gen Z protests, Matiang’i said there should be an open public inquest into all unresolved murders in the country.
Matiang’i, who has declared his intention to run for president in 2027, emphasised the need for impartial investigations to bring closure and allow the country to move forward.
“We can deal with all the murders that have not been conclusively investigated — whether we start with Musando, then Jacob Juma, Sergeant Kenei, and those found in River Yala,” Matiang’i said.
“Let all these cases be investigated through an open public inquest so we can move forward, explain, and face the public on these matters.”
