PS Omollo dismisses abduction claims, says reported cases are self-staged

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has pushed back against growing claims of state-linked abductions, saying a number of cases presented as enforced disappearances are in fact orchestrated by the individuals involved and later used to cast the government in a negative light.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, Omollo said the government neither supports nor engages in abductions, adding that investigations into some reported cases had revealed that the individuals had voluntarily disappeared before reappearing days later.

“The cases that I would call purported abduction are people sleeping or locking themselves in their bedrooms and then they go out there,” Omollo said.

According to the Principal Secretary, some of those reported missing had deliberately withdrawn from public view before resurfacing and claiming they had been abducted.

He argued that such incidents were being used to create the impression that the government was violating the rights of citizens.

“Mwishowe unapata ni watu walikuwa wamejificha kibinafsi… ama kwa ile kutafuta umaarufu, ama kujaribu kutuonyesha kwamba kama serikali hatuzingatii maslahi ya Wakenya ama tunadhulumu Wakenya,” he said.

Omollo also defended the current administration against accusations of enforced disappearances, saying such incidents were more commonly reported during the previous government.

He maintained that President William Ruto had made it clear from the beginning of his administration that abductions would not be tolerated.

“Hiyo mambo ya utekaji nyara ni mambo ilipitwa na wakati. Actually, katika ile serikali iliyopita, ndio tulikuwa na hiyo changamoto ya watu walikuwa wanatekwa nyara… Tangu tuchukue usukani, na Mheshimiwa Rais William Ruto has been very clear katika uongozi wake, hakutakuwa na mambo kama hayo.”

His remarks come amid continued public concern over reports of missing activists and government critics, with several leaders offering differing views on the incidents.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei echoed Omollo's sentiments, claiming that some people could be engineering their own disappearances as political activity begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The senator urged judicial officers to carefully examine such cases, warning that some could be intended to attract sympathy or influence public perception.

“I want to appeal to the judiciary that they must take note that there is an emerging trend in this country where individuals are self-abducting, and just as I can tell you this is not the last, as we go to the general election, you will see many people abducting themselves,” Cherargei warned.

Even so, Cherargei said he does not support abductions and insisted that anyone accused of wrongdoing should be dealt with through lawful procedures.

“I do not agree with abductions; I have personally been abducted by the police, and I do not champion this at all. People should be summoned legally,” Cherargei said.