Kenya School of Law leader Joshua Okayo speaks about abduction experience

Kenya School of Law President Joshua Okayo has opened up about his harrowing experience after being abducted on June 26, following his participation in the Anti-Tax Protests.

He had joined thousands in Nairobi CBD on June 25, during a demonstration where protestors breached the Parliament building.

Okayo shared his story with NTV Swahili, expressing his desire to make his voice and that of young Kenyans heard.

During the protests, police clashed with demonstrators, resulting in several fatalities. Okayo, who narrowly escaped death, revealed that he still has bullets from that day.

“I said if I die in this struggle, they will find this. They will know I was dedicated and ready,” he stated, visibly traumatized by the events.

He had received prior information that security officials were looking for him. “They were searching because two students from Kenya School of Law had been abducted at 5 am and later found,” he added.

As the president of the KSL Governing Council, Okayo released a statement when the two students were found.

He then received three strange phone calls and shared the information with friends who confirmed that he was being targeted.

“When I left my main residence, about 600 meters away, someone greeted me. When I turned to respond, three men grabbed me and forced me into a car,” Okayo recounted.

He was blindfolded. “They covered my head with a black sackcloth. They were silent for about 30 minutes while driving, then they asked why we were protesting. I didn’t want to talk much because I didn’t know who they were.”

Looking pensive, Okayo continued, “They wanted information about the leader organizing the demos and printing t-shirts. They also wanted to know about the IMF. ‘Who gave us the information that the IMF drafted the Finance Bill 2024?’ I told them it’s all out there, we read it.”

The car stopped, and he was transferred to a second vehicle. “They were silent again. We just drove. After about two hours, they stopped, removed me, and made me walk. I was thrown into a room. I could tell it was a room. They left me alone.”

Tearing up, Okayo told NTV that he was beaten repeatedly while being asked the same questions. Eventually, he was removed from the room and taken to another car.

“They drove for about two hours. During that time, they were strangling me, hitting me in the chest, legs, and ankles.” Later, he was thrown out of the vehicle and rolled onto the ground.

He sat still, fearing the worst, until he was woken up by people speaking Kikuyu.