The abductors of government critics went to an extent of using number plates of a man of God to carry out their unholy exercise.

In what High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye heard was a well co-ordinated exercise that was done in a span of a week, the court heard that the vehicles used by the abductors bore fictitious number plates.

 Peter Muteti is said to have been abducted by men in a black Toyota Prado,  KCF 035 M. Nevertheless, a National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) report produced in court, and seen by The Standard, indicated that the number plate belonged to a Silver Toyota Probox belonging to a one Bishop Joseph Mwangi Maina. The court heard that Maina was miles away from the abduction site.

At the same time, another vehicle used in the abduction of Gideon Kibet was Subaru bearing a number plate KCG 089A. Nevertheless, the NTSA record indicated that the same belong to a white vehicle a white Probox belonging to Catherine Kalanju.

The other vehicle flagged was a KCA 397R, a white probox used to abduct Bernard Kavuli. The vehicle, according to the court record, the number place belongs to a Land Rover Pick-up belonging to Wario Boru Kiri.

Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo told the court that two people- Steven Kavingo and Kevin Muthoni are still missing from last year.

She explained that they had been abducted around the same period that Muteti, Kavuli, Kibet, Billy Mwangi and Rony Kiplagat.

Senior Counsel Martha Karua in her separate submissions urged the court to compel the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and The Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin to be present them alive or dead.

“The court should take judicial notice that abductions have become an epidemic. Petitioners were coincidentally released when the IG, the Interior CS was to appear before you,” argued Karua.

Another  lawyer, Dudley Ochiel, said Kanja and Amin had defied court orders.

“Two, of the petitioners are heading to their second month to their captivity. At the same time, they have never been produced before this court. The respondents are in continuing violation of the court orders. They have refused to release the seventh and eighth petitioners,” argued Ochiel.

Lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, also for the petitioners, argued that the vehicles used in the abductions violated the Traffic Act as they were unregistered.

“The only vehicles that are exempt from registration are the President’s,” argued Ndegwa.

Lawyer Shadrack Wambui argued that the abductors were either abducted by the police or persons who has instructions from the police bosses.

In the meantime, The Standard obtained affidavits by the abductees. From the accounts, it appears that the abductors had separate detention places, but one location was in a forest while another was within the city, perhaps a path whether planes and helicopters frequented.

They also talked of being driven for between one and half hours and two hours before they came to a halt.

Kavuli, 24, claimed that the abductors told him that they had taken him to a place where birds were chipping. He said it was presumably a forest. It was a dark room, and a torture chamber.

He then narrated that he was whisked away to a second place which he said that the abductors claimed to be ‘ Mount Kenya Discipline Academy ‘ and was allegedly being run by the “forces”. They were required to answer ‘yes sir’ whenever they were addressed.

He claimed that in the first location, he heard that Muteti and Mwangi names being mentioned. According to him, they lasted  first location for five days before being taken to the ‘discipline academy.’

The media studies student told the court that they were stripper naked and were questioned twice daily. In the meantime, the meals, he said were badly cooked and they were given water sporadically. They were also not allowed to shower.

In the ‘discipline centre’ , Kavuli said that the meals were twice a day and better cooked. At the same time, he said, they were shaved.

Nevertheless, he argued that they were being beaten all through using pipes. He said he stayed at the second detention centre for 11 days.

He also narrated that on January 5,2025, he was approached by at least 10 men and a woman who allegedly told him that they were tasked to defend the presidency by all means. Kavuli alleged that they required him to be a good boy and not tell his whereabouts or ordeal.

He  was then blind folded and bundled into a Prado, only to find himself Moi’s bridge. He was given Sh 2000 to go home.

“They  further warned me that if I went home I should stop criticizing the government and be a good boy. They also forbade me from speaking to the media or even confiding in my parents about anything I had witnessed, heard, or endured while in their custody,” narrated Kavuli.

Kibet, a 4th year Egerton University student on his end narrated that after he was abducted, he was driven for at least one and a half hours, before they came into a bumpy road then stopped. He said that the abductors claimed he had been taken to a ‘ better place.’

He alleged that they also questioned him about his critism against the government.

Kibet recalled the detention centre had a gate and after a few steps to step up onto a metallic feeling step. The floor had a hard mat like material and the room had chipboard.

He narated that it was painted black at the center, white at  the upper side and had hooks on the upper side of the mattress. It was a room that perfectly fit a mattress.

“All this I took note of after I had a chance to remove my blindfold later on,” he alleged.

He told the court that there was a mature tree in the compound and outside the compound were many trees and the area looked forested. He also remember seeing banana trees outside the compound.

“The toilets are the kind of toilets that you could sit on when using them I used to only be taken to the bathroom during the day and in the morning. The building had an open courtyard and the adjoining house had a clay roof,” he continued.

In addition, he said,  the compound had two containers like structure in an L-formation next to a house with clay roof tiles and at the right corner was the area heI took leftover food when he was  let out.

“The gate was black from the inside. I remember the gate was metallic as it made a very loud noise every time it was opened. The fence was normal height and had metallic decorative spikes at the top of the metallic fence.  During  the period I was there I heard grass cut outside and I also heard big airplanes flying overhead all day. At night I would mostly hear helicopters flying,” narrated Kibet.

His recallection was that on December 32,  2024 at night he heard a lot of fireworks, drums and music, he also heard  a large crowd of people. 

“I recognised some of the music playing. I remember they were playing old school Kenyan music and Jua-Kali, Jose Chameleon and some Bongo Music. I heard what sounded like a music Emcee speaking and a DJ in the loud music and people cheering. He also heard a countdown before people cheered happy new year. My captors brought me tea and toast,” he continued.

The court heard that he was at one point given arimis petroleum jelly to apply on his lips.

Kibet was also given Sh 2000. He said that he heard the driver of the vehicle be was bundled into on the last day of abduction address another as ‘ Afande tunachunga nchi’ ( Afande is a slang referring to a police officer while chunga nchi means we are taking care of the nation).

“The  man who was speaking in Kalenjin and he told me in Kalenjin before they left that, “you will remember me”. This he said while he gave me a Maasai shuka. He had a godfather hat. He had a black shirt and white sleeves. He was short. He was the driver of the vehicle and the same man who had given me money earlier,” Narrated Kibet.

His brother Kiplagat on the other hand said that he heard the abductor ask whether they were in the right route of what was the Old Mombasa Road.

He said that he was bearing the pain of his brother Kibet as they asked him about him. According to him, he was taken in a room where he was beaten and stripped naked.

From his account, Kibet and Kiplagat could have been in the same location. He too said that he heard fireworks, and that is how he knew the country had ushered the new year.

He said that his meals included Ugali, Chicken, Greens, Cabbage, Ndengu and meat. Nevetheless, the water was rationed.

Kiplagat said that the abductors realized that he had little information on being a government critic as he was not involved. He was however given a Sh 1000 extra from what Kavuli and Kibet were given. He was dumped at Machakos.

 “In what turned out to be the last day, the person that used to bring me food said it to me, “Pray to your God you may be released today.” Later, he came back and took my personal details, which is, my phone number and my SIM card pin number. He also said to me that I should not speak to the media and that I should be silent about what had happened. After a fewminutes he came back with my phone my clothing and took a photo of me. He also gave me a seat. I could hear a lot of movement in the compound,” he narrated.

On his end, Mwangi said that he was taken to a place that had smooth roads but with ocassional bumps. He als narrated that he was taken to two places; the first one he was ordered to strip naked. He too was given Sh 2000 with instructions that he ought to go straight home.

“I do not feel safe anymore. I do not know the intentions of the abductors. I fesr for my girlfriend’s safety. They have our pictures and our messages.I need to feel safe in my country,” he said.

Mwangi said that he had been slapped on the right side of his face by one of the abductors and that caused the face to twitch since then.

He said that be was made to sit a field.