Politics in Kenya is associated with mysterious disappearances. Leaders and activists have always gone missing. The usual phrase is “under unclear circumstances”. Investigations by the police body have been in futility.
As a lecturer in the University of Nairobi, Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o taught Political science. At some time he was arrested and accused of teaching students revolt. During that same time, and after his release from police cells, his brother Charles Onam disappeared. When he tried to find out where he has disappeared to, he failed.
Nyong’o informs us that the search was later mismanaged in what looked like a politically choreographed move. The police officers who were responsible for the search of his brother got scattered around the country. He later, after ten years, learnt from reliable sources the difficulty of the process. To date, they are still grieving. By then Moi was our president. We all know how people died and were assassinated.
Nyong’o comes from a politically active family. They were good activists and have been in tussles with the state for a long time. They have been detained, arrested severally and charged for offenses related to freedom fighting for the republic.
It is not the first time an individual is disappearing in the hands of the police. How did Willie Kimani disappear? Where is the former police Philip Kilonzo who was the head of the security department at the time Ouko Robert died? Was he aware of the death of Ouko? Was he eliminated because he would speak the truth about the death of Robert Ouko?
Amongst the Kapenguria six, Kungu Karumba is yet to be found. The man disappeared after his release from the Kapenguria prison. It looked like an arbitrary end to human life. They will never be in peace till information about him is made public.
For Kenyans living today, it is time people demanded actions against these matters. We have a normal way of ending cases. We only condemn them on Facebook. After a few slurs on Facebook it is better for us to demand strongly actions against any officers and the state when people die or disappear in this manner. Otherwise, the same way we forgot about Erastus Kirui Chemorei, Jacob Juma, Robert Ouko and Tom Mboya is the same manner we will forget ourselves.
