The Thirdway Alliance party leader, Ekuru Aukot, has strongly criticised Kenya’s security agencies and Parliament, accusing them of failing the country on matters of enforced disappearances and accountability.
In an interview on a local TV station on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Aukot said the increase in abductions of civilians pointed to a worrying trend of impunity and state negligence.
Aukot lashed out at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), saying the agency has sufficient resources but lacks the will to protect citizens and uphold the rule of law.
“The DCI is well-resourced to do its work. The issue is not about capacity; it is about a culture of impunity and selective justice,” he said.
He further accused Parliament of sleeping on its watchdog mandate, failing to hold state institutions accountable even in the face of growing public concern over unlawful arrests and disappearances.
“What is the role of Parliament if not to check the excesses of the Executive? Members of Parliament have become spectators, while Kenyans are abducted in broad daylight,” Aukot charged.
The constitutional lawyer and former presidential candidate called for the immediate removal of Cabinet Secretary for Interior Security and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, citing what he termed as gross incompetence and dereliction of duty.
Lack of accountability
“It is an embarrassment that I share the same profession with Kipchumba Murkomen. How can you direct police to shoot civilians? He posed.
“Murkomen must go. I hope the petition goes through so that he is removed from office. He has failed to assure Kenyans of their safety. Under his watch, the security of ordinary citizens has deteriorated. This is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy,” Aukot asserted.
He also urged civil society and human rights defenders not to relent in demanding justice for victims of enforced disappearances, calling the current silence from key institutions a betrayal of the constitution.
Aukot’s comments come in the wake of multiple reported cases of abductions across the country, many reportedly linked to state operatives. Human rights organisations have recently sounded the alarm on what they say is the re-emergence of extrajudicial tactics by rogue elements within security forces.
“This is how dictatorships are born – through silence and complicity. We must stand up and demand accountability,” he said.
