Kenya School of Law President dismisses Ruto's denial of police abductions

Kenya School of Law President Joshua Okayo has dismissed President William Ruto's Thursday statement in which he denied having knowledge of any incidents involving the abduction of Kenyans by law enforcement authorities during and after the recent anti-government protests.

Ruto made the remarks during a town hall session in Kisumu, tasking Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo with resolving the missing persons' cases and locating the individuals.

Speaking on Citizen TV's Daybreak Show on Friday, Okayo referenced his own abduction by alleged security personnel, highlighting that he was one of the lucky few to escape death.

Okayo was reportedly abducted by police on June 26, during the peak of the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations. Three days later, he was found abandoned near Maragua River in Murang'a County, showing signs of torture.

He was subsequently admitted to Avenue Hospital in Thika due to the psychological trauma of the ordeal.

"I remember that the same day I went missing, Denzel Omondi went missing and unfortunately he was found dead in some quarry dump. These are real issues and experiences and this is a lived experience so when the President says he is not aware of any abductions, it is very sad," said Okayo.

"I would advise the President to sit down reflect on his leadership and the occurrences in the last three months and actually decide. Now that he calls himself a very prayerful man please let him sit down, pray and get back to the person that we thought he was."

Okayo likewise chimed in on the alliance between President Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga, highlighting the risk of the pair coming together and feeding from the same trough.

He expressed concern that their coming together might lead to a situation where both leaders are using their alliance to serve their own interests rather than addressing broader public concerns.

"There are people who believe in Raila and Ruto and it doesn't matter what happens. When they come together citizens forget that we have problems, celebrating unity more than looking at our problems. They forget that they don't have the basic commodities every human being should get and that is the risk," he said.

"The President went to Nyanza and said he does not know of cases of forced disappearance and people celebrated. If they were not together, people would not have accepted that. We have people who do not have independent thinking. They listen more to what the politicians are saying. At the end of the day, if they move together in 2027, we are going to be in a big crisis."