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Ipoa begins probe into alleged police abductions

Four young Kenyans have been reported missing after being abducted.

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by FELIX KIPKEMOI

News25 December 2024 - 20:10
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In Summary


  • Ipoa chairman Issack Hassan says teams are under "instructions to obtain all information...surrounding the abductions and whether there was police involvement as generally alleged."
  • The latest incidents involve four men who are still missing. They include Bill Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli and a fourth that is yet to be identified.



The Independent Policing Oversight Authority says it has commenced investigations to establish whether police are involved in the rising cases of abductions in the country.

In a statement, Ipoa chairperson Issack Hassan said they have dispatched the rapid response teams to areas of incidence, including Embu, Kajiado and Nairobi.

The teams, he said, are under "instructions to obtain all information that may be relevant in unveiling circumstances surrounding the abductions and whether there was police involvement as generally alleged."

The move by the agency follows public outcry over rising abduction incidents particularly of young Kenyans these past few days.

The latest incidents involve four men who are still missing.

They include Bill Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli and a fourth that is yet to be identified.

Muteti is said to have been picked up by four men outside a kiosk in Uthiru at around 9am Saturday and bundled into a waiting vehicle which sped off.

Witnesses said one of the men who grabbed the social media influencer was in police uniform.

Mwangi on his part is alleged to have been forcibly taken away from a barber shop in Embu by four masked armed men who were travelling in a double cabin pick-up truck.

The missing men are said to have posted offensive images of President William Ruto on their social media pages.

Meanwhile, Kavuli was abducted in Ngong town on Sunday in an incident linked to his activities on social media pages with the latest posts on his X platform highlighting issues related to the 2007 post-election violence.

According to Hassan, stern action will be taken if any police officer is found to have been involved in the abductions.

"Where fault is found, the authority shall make recommendations for prosecution, internal disciplinary action or any other appropriate relief," he stated.

Hassan added that the responses and findings of their probe shall be made public once concluded.

He at the same time urged the Inspector General of Police to take urgent measures to stop the growing and worrying trend of abductions.

Hassan noted that it is the responsibility of the NPS to protect all persons in Kenya against illegal denial of their fundamental rights and freedoms as enshrined in the constitution through abductions.

"The authority therefore calls upon the Inspector General of Police to take urgent measures to stop this growing and worrying trend of abductions in the country," he said.

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