Retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, alongside a team of prominent activists, spearheaded a significant protest on Monday against the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
The group, including notable figures like Boniface Mwangi and Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Haki Africa, presented a petition at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters on Kiambu Road, highlighting alleged abductions targeting peaceful protesters.
Arriving at Mazingira House, the DCI’s headquarters, Mutunga declared, “Abductions are unconstitutional,” as he addressed the press. The area was under tight security, with police enforcing a perimeter and barring people from approaching within 200 meters of the main gate.
Boniface Mwangi, a well-known human rights activist, shared harrowing details of a recent incident.
“Two Subarus attempted to kidnap us on Friday outside City Mortuary, but we managed to escape. We are here to tell the DCI to either arrest us or allow us to protest peacefully,” Mwangi stated.
The activists are drawing attention to what they describe as a resurgence of unlawful abductions, a practice reminiscent of the feared “Yala River” disappearances. “This is a return to the Yala River era. We are witnessing a disturbing increase in abductions, despite President William Ruto’s vow to end such practices,” Mwangi added.
Police permitted Mutunga, Mwangi, and Khalid to enter the DCI headquarters, accompanied by their lawyers, while preventing other protesters from approaching the main gate. The move underscores the serious concerns raised by the activists about the treatment of demonstrators and the potential violations of their rights.
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