'Ruto has failed to stop abductions, we want ICC to step in' -

By Wanderi Kamau

Several victims and survivors of abductions and extrajudicial killings now want the International Criminal Court (ICC) to step in, investigate and prosecute all those responsible for those acts in Kenya.

The victims want the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and the Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin to be held personally responsible for all the crimes that have happened under their watch.

Speaking to journalists in Nairobi on Sunday, 2^nd February 2025, accompanied by officials from the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the victims said that despite their release, they have been living in constant fear.

The victims are Bob Njagi, Aslam Longton and Jamil Longton (also known as ‘Kitengela Three’), Dancan Kyalo (brother to the late Justus Mutumwa – one of the missing four men from Mlolongo ‘Mlolongo Four’) and Monica Mwende, sister to Kalani Mwema, who is part of the ‘Mlolongo Four’ and yet to be found.

Njagi claimed that since his release, a mysterious vehicle has been trailing him.

“Since our release, we have been trailed by individuals we strongly believe are security agents. On January 5, 2025 at 6 a.m, I, Njagi, noticed a Subaru Outback with registration number KDP 044J trailing me during my morning run in Kitengela,” said Njagi.

“Alarmed, I sought help from a security guard at a petrol station along Namanga Road. When I alerted the guard, the vehicle sped off. Initially, I thought it was an isolated incident. However, the exact vehicle continued trailing me throughout Kitengela, making it clear this was a coordinate operation,” he said.

Aslam, Jamil, Kyalo and Mwende gave similar accounts of how they have been subjected to different forms of intimidations to people they termed as state security agents.

“Kenya’s justice system has failed the victims. We call on the ICC to intervene. This is because Kenya’s human rights violations are no longer a domestic issue; they are crimes against humanity. We demand that the ICC take immediate action to investigate and prosecute those responsible for those heinous crimes,” they said in a joint statement.

Despite President William Ruto’s several public assurances that his government will stop the wave of abductions, the incidents continue to be on the rise.

Apart from the KHRC, the victims were joined by other human rights organisations such as the Defenders Coalition, Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), Social Justice Centre Working Group and Mathare Social Justice Centre.