Prominent activists Boniface Mwangi, Hanifa Adan, and Hussein Khalif were released on Monday afternoon after a tense morning at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.
They had been detained earlier in the day over their alleged involvement in the ongoing protests against the Finance Bill 2024.
The trio reported to the DCI to record statements regarding recent abductions and their links to the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
Their lawyer, Stephen Mbugua, stated that they were told to leave while in the middle of recording their statements, and no specific reasons were given for their detention.
Mbugua expressed concern about the lack of transparency and accountability in the detentions, highlighting the unresolved case of Shadrack Kiprono. Kiprono, who was reportedly abducted in Nairobi’s South B area, remains missing.
“No reasons were given for their detentions,” Mbugua told reporters. “We still have no news on Shadrack Kiprono’s whereabouts, which is deeply troubling.”
Speaking after his release, Boniface Mwangi emphasized the determination of protesters to reject the Finance Bill. He acknowledged the President’s willingness to engage in dialogue but made it clear that the protestors’ primary focus was on rejecting the contentious bill.
“I know the President has said he wants dialogue, and that is correct; we want a dialogue to reject the finance bill,” Mwangi stated. “Kenyans are angry about budgeted corruption; young people are tired.”
Hussein Khalif disclosed that the DCI head, Mohamed Amin, had identified them as persons of interest. He confirmed that Amin had promised to instruct his officers to investigate Kiprono’s abduction.
“We asked about Shadrack, and he said that he will instruct his officers to take up the matter,” Khalif reported. “Dialogue is about sitting down and talking to the people, not abducting and arresting them.”
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