Murkomen Seeks to Be Struck Off Abduction Case as LSK Continues Legal Battle

NAIROBI, Kenya – Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is seeking to have his name removed as a respondent in an ongoing case filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and several human rights organizations.

The case involves alleged abductions of six youths in December 2024, with Murkomen facing accusations over his role in the incidents.

In an application filed through his lawyers, Samson Nyaberi and Danstan Omari, Murkomen argues that as a Cabinet Secretary, his responsibilities are limited to setting policy direction, not overseeing day-to-day security operations.

The petitioners have sued Murkomen along with several key security figures, including Police Inspector General (IG) Douglas Kanja, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohammed Amin, and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Igonga, demanding accountability for the disappearances.

Murkomen’s lawyers assert that his role does not extend to the direct command of security forces, a function that they say falls squarely under the IG’s jurisdiction.

“His role to the police is only on policy direction to the IG. That does not involve a command structure, which is a preserve of the Inspector General,” Omari said in court documents.

The case, which has garnered significant attention from both legal and human rights circles, seeks orders to compel security agencies to produce in court six youths who were reportedly abducted in December.

The individuals in question—Ronny Kiplagat, Steve Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, and Kelvin Muthoni—were allegedly taken by armed forces, with five of them having been released in various locations across the country as of Monday.

Only Steve Mbisi remains unaccounted for.

This legal showdown comes as Justice Bahati Mwamuye prepares to hear the case on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at the High Court in Nairobi.

The court has previously given IG Kanja a seven-day deadline to explain his failure to produce the abducted youths by December 31, 2024, as initially ordered by the court.

Justice Mwamuye’s ruling on December 31 warned that the IG could face consequences for non-compliance, urging him to produce the remaining victims in any High Court to avoid penalties.

“There is still room for the IG to vindicate himself by presenting the six abductees in any High Court to avoid penal consequences,” the judge emphasized.