Omtatah: Kibet Bull visited my office before he went missing

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has provided a detailed account of how social media influencer Kibet Bull went missing on the eve of Christmas.

According to Omtatah, Kibet visited his office between 11am and 4pm that day to introduce himself and explore the possibility of joining his team.

This was ahead of his planned departure to Israel on December 27 for further studies at Tel Aviv University.

During their meeting, Omtatah said Kibet who had traveled from Nakuru to Nairobi for the visit, "expressed strong support for my work."

He did not, however, express any concerns about his safety during their conversation, he said.

After the meeting, Omtatah said his driver, accompanied by his colleague Wyclife Nyakina, drove him to the Kencom House bus station. 

"He had informed me that he would be staying with his brother in Kikuyu until his flight," he explained.

In his statement, the senator said Nyakina later told him that they parted ways near the National Archives Building at around 5pm, where Kibet was to board a matatu to Kikuyu.

Later on, he learnt of his abduction, forcing him to make a missing person report at the Upper Hill Police Station. The Busia senator claims that Kibet was being tracked.

He explained that his security detail had noticed a suspicious white Subaru Forester, which was parked across the road from his office during Kibet’s visit. 

The National Police Service has since denied any involvement in the ongoing abductions in the country.

In a statement on Thursday, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said there is no police station in the country that is currently holding any of the persons reported to have been abducted.

“For avoidance of doubt, the National Police Service is not involved in any abduction, and there is no police station in the Country that is holding the reported abductees,” he said.

In his statement, Omtatah demanded an explanation from Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin.

This, as he called for the immediate release of Kibet and the disclosure of details regarding other similar abductions. 

Others who are also still missing and alleged to have been abducted are Bill Mwangi, Peter Muteti, and Bernard Kavuli.

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 barbershop in Embu by four masked armed men who were travelling in a double-cabin pickup truck.

At the same time, Kanja urged Kenyans to refrain from sharing false information on social media, aimed at tarnishing the good name of the police.

“Whereas Kenya is a democratic country that guarantees freedom of expression, freedom not only comes with certain limitations but should at all times be exercised with utmost responsibility. We therefore appeal to the public to refrain from spreading false, fabricated, malicious, distasteful, misinformed, and unverified information aimed at tarnishing the reputation and image of the National Police Service.”

Omtatah also used the opportunity to urge the government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

"That way Kenya will be tasked to ensure that enforced disappearances are criminalised with appropriate punishments being meted out to perpetrators of the crime," he said.