I will firmly act on allegations of abductions

President William Ruto has promised that action will be taken against police officers who will be implicated in abduction of Kenyans during anti-government protests.

Ruto, who was speaking during his inaugural X Space conversation with the youth, said police have clear rules of how to arrest people if they have to take in suspects.

 “If anything is down outside the procedure, then it is illegal and punishable by law,” he stated.

The youth expressed doubts that the manner in which police arrested suspects was legal.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki denied reports that the government abducted some Kenyans before, during and after the anti-Finance Bill protests.

Though a section of social media activists claimed they had been abducted by security forces and held incommunicado, Kindiki said those were arrests and not abductions.

“We do not condone abductions neither does the Constitution allow either abductions or enforced disappearances or even torture,” Kindiki said.

In his response, Ruto said police know how they are supposed to effect an arrest.

“When the police arrest someone, they must declare to the person they are officers and the reason they arresting the person. They must also take the suspect to a place that is known. Claims of abductions is a matter that I will take up and deal with it,” he promised.

Last week, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leadership handed over a report on at least 39 missing persons from the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

LSK, led by President Faith Odhiambo, lodged a formal report to the Director of Criminal Investigation, requesting an investigation into the alleged series of abductions.