NAIROBI, Feb 3 (NNN-KBC) — Victims and survivors of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are urgently calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to intervene and address the growing issue, citing the failure of Kenya’s justice system to bring justice or accountability.
The victims expressed frustration over what they describe as a pattern of impunity surrounding these crimes, with numerous individuals vanishing without a trace or being killed by state agents.
Bob Njagi, an activist and leader of the Free Kenya Movement, recounted his chilling experience of abduction and torture, alleging that the State is targeting him to silence the truth about the horrors he endured.
Speaking to the media in Nairobi on Sunday, Njagi revealed that he was subjected to brutal treatment by his abductors and now, he fears for his life as he attempts to expose what happened to him.
In addition to Njagi’s case, relatives of Steve Mbisi and Kalani Mwema, two men who allegedly disappeared from Mlolongo, have come forward with their own stories.
They claim that police have threatened them, warning them against seeking answers regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones.
The families, distressed by the silence surrounding the disappearances, have expressed growing concerns that their pursuit of justice is being actively obstructed.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has added its voice to the outcry, calling for immediate, independent, and transparent investigations into several high-profile cases of enforced disappearance, including those of Bob Njagi, Jamil Longton, Aslam Longton, Justus Mutumwa, Martin Mwau, Steve Mbisi and Kalani Mwema.
The Commission is demanding that the State be held accountable for these cases, urging the government to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the abductions and killings.
Furthermore, the KHRC has called for Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohammed Amin to be held personally accountable for the alleged crimes committed under their leadership.
The Commission insists that the authorities must provide answers about the thousands of Kenyans whose whereabouts remain unknown, and the State must be forced to take responsibility for these heinous acts.
As the calls for justice grow louder, victims and their families are left grappling with the harsh reality that Kenya’s justice system, they believe, has failed them, leaving them with no other recourse but to turn to international bodies like the ICC for intervention. — NNN-KBC