Kenyans on social media have expressed mixed reactions after an individual was allegedly abducted on Tuesday, August 6, in Kahawa West, Kiambu County.
Videos seen by The Kenya Times show men believed to be police officers in civilian clothes, driving a Subaru Forester, forcibly apprehending a man in front of a crowd heard shouting.
One of the abductors can be seen brandishing a Ceska pistol before opening the car door and driving off with the victim who is at this point in handcuffs.
Another man, wearing a blue mask, can also be seen walking away from the car to board another Subaru parked nearby.
As the vehicle sped away, the crowd could be heard shouting, “Hii inaitwa abduction, msimuue” (This is what we call abduction, don’t kill him).
Man Abducted in Kiambu
The individual identified as Kevin Too, is a Roysambu based blogger and admin of the Facebook page “East or West Home Ni K-West was abducted in Kahawa west market.
He is said to be a critic of the government and the area Member of Parliament (MP).
A such, the incident sparked widespread concern and discussion, with many Kenyans questioning how individuals could watch while someone was being abducted in broad daylight.
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“I think it should come to a point where when we see this kind of useless action, wananchi takes actions in their hands be it storming the entire vehicle or troops to death,” Eugene Ojwang posted.
Another user Joel Ratemo posed, “In the middle of the road, CBD, where there are so many people, abduction happens, and not even the crowd tries to stop it. If we can’t stand for each other, why are we busy condemning misrule? This is sad. couldn’t those people have insisted on seeing a warrant of arrest?”
Others Social Media users where curious about how people are often abducted a day or two before planned protests, questioning who benefits the most from these abductions.
“This should be stopped… But why do these people act like we are not entitled… They have started the act to make people scared… Stay woke,” Ercy Oduor said.
Also Read: Nane Nane Protests: Kenyans in UK Announce March to Embassy
Abduction Cases in the Country
This incident comes after The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), in its latest report on July 25, stated that 66 people have gone missing since the beginning of anti-government protests.
In the intervening period, the number of those reported as abducted or missing went up from 59 to 66 while the number of those arrested has gone up from 682 to 1,376.
Elsewhere, youths in Kenya led by the Gen Zs have planned another round of anti-government protests set to happen on Thursday 8 August 2024.
The August 8th march has been dubbed ‘Nane Nane’ drawing inspiration from the monumental ‘Saba Saba’ protests of the 1990’s.
Posters have been making rounds across different social media platforms with the schedule of activities to take place leading to the day of the march.
According to the action plan, mobilization happened on different social media platforms including TikTok, WhatsApp and Facebook between July 24th to July 27th, 2024.
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