The Human Rights Watch (HRW) Africa group has revealed the identity of an abduction squad it claims is behind the wave of forced disappearances in the country, which is linked to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
While speaking during the launch of its 5th edition of the World Report on Thursday January 16, the human rights group disclosed that the Operation Support Unit is behind the surge in abductions in the country.
The unit is synonymous with the Special Service Unit (SSU), a squad that President William Ruto disbanded when he assumed office.
“After Ruto disbanded the SSU, he reestablished a similar unit within the DCI called the Operation Support Unit.
The Operation Support Unit is the one which replaced SSU and is doing exactly what SSU used to do,” said Otsieno Namwaya, Associate Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.
DCI Alleged abduction squad unit linked to disappearances
In its report, HRW Africa documented 86 individuals abducted, with 26 people still unaccounted for.
Furthermore, the Human Rights Watch accused the Kenyan government of orchestrating the abductions of foreign nationals seeking asylum.
“It is almost what I would call a boys’ club kind of situation where one President calls his brother personally and says, ‘This guy in your country who is from my country is disturbing me; why are you allowing it to happen?’
It is this trend that we must all resist,” said Mausi Segon, Executive Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.
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While referring to Maria Sarungi, a Tanzanian journalist living in Kenya who is a fierce critic of Samia Suluhu’s government and was abducted, Mausi stated that were it not for her quick alert about her abduction, she might not have been found.
“What happened to Maria Sarungi here in Kenya is very instructive for me. The fact that she was able to get a message out quickly that an abduction had happened was critical,” Mausi stated.
She further noted that Kenya is no longer a safe haven for people seeking refuge from persecution in their home countries.
“People who are persecuted, people who are fleeing conflict, repression, or situations that are unpalatable in their countries must have a place of refuge. There must be a safe haven in this world. Kenya used to be that place. It used to be a lighthouse,” Segon added.
Foreign nationals abducted in Kenya
The Human Rights Watch report came in the wake of a surge in abductions, including of foreign nationals, the most recent being Maria Sarungi, who was abducted on Sunday, January 12, in the Kilimani neighborhood of Nairobi.
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She was taken by armed men in a black Toyota Noah van outside Chaka Place and later released in the evening.
Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye is also a victim of abduction on Kenyan soil. He was captured in Nairobi in November 2024 and later taken to a Ugandan military court.
NPS has denied any involvement in the abductions.
“As per the Service Standing Orders, all arrests must be recorded in the Occurrence Book for subsequent arraignment in a court of law. If the procedural threshold is not met, suspects should be released from police custody,” Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said in a previous statement.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Police Service is not involved in any abduction, and there is no police station in the country holding the reported abductees.”
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