IPOA calls for public inquiry into wave of abductions, cite pattern of rights violations » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 14 – The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has formally called for a public inquiry into the recent wave of abductions reported across the country.

This follows President William Ruto’s admission that all abducted individuals had since been released.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Monday, IPOA Chairperson Issack Hassan urged Parliament to lead the establishment of an official inquiry to uncover the identities and networks behind the alleged human rights abuses.

“IPOA has also recommended that because of the nature of these complaints, it’s time that we need to set up a public enquiry on this matter. Whether it will be called a judicial commission of inquiry or a public inquiry, but some sort of inquiry that can bring together all these complaints and arrests,” Hassan stated.

The committee was reviewing the proposed budget estimates for the 2025/2026 financial year when the matter was raised.

Hassan outlined a concerning pattern observed by IPOA, where abductors operated openly and with impunity, often in broad daylight, without fear of being identified by police or CCTV surveillance.

“They appeared to be very comfortable in what they were doing. They kept people in detention camps for some time and some people were even given transport when they were being dropped. This looked like a very organised operation, but we continue to investigate. We are getting to families of those abducted to get what happened,” he said.

Hassan also voiced the authority’s frustration with investigating the cases, stating that police leadership had distanced itself from the incidents.

“As we sit now, it’s very hard to pin point the police because the Inspector General of Police has come out and said they do not know and are not taking part in these abductions or killings,” he said.

“It’s up to the committee and this Parliament to give guidance on that. As for IPOA, we only oversight the police and we have had people say they were being abducted by policemen and we have tried to get more information so that they are arrested and charged.”

IPOA Chief Executive Officer Elema Halake emphasized the role of the National Police Service in resolving the matter.

“As IPOA we feel the National Police Service remains responsible to unearth the abductions as it is a major issue that the IG should lead in getting resolutions,” said Halake.

The call for a public inquiry came in response to a question from Mandera South MP Hussein Abdirahman, who pressed the Authority on what measures it had taken regarding the alleged police-linked abductions.

“The President recently said that people who had been abducted have been released and it is true. But who was behind the abductions? Have you investigated who was behind the acts?” Abdirahman asked.

In addition to the inquiry, IPOA is proposing the creation of special courts dedicated to handling police misconduct cases.

“We have anti-corruption courts and land and environment courts as well as children’s courts. So we thought we could ask the Chief Justice and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to establish a special court specifically dealing with police violations cases,” Hassan said.

“The ODPP himself has already tasked specific prosecutors who are dealing with police because they keep getting experience as they prosecute policemen. Instead of lumping all these cases together, we are asking that these cases be given a priority because they are a matter of public interest.”