NAIROBI, Kenya- Siaya Governor James Orengo has visited activist Davis Lichuma at Kenyatta National Hospital, describing his condition as “devastating” and renewing calls for accountability over alleged abductions linked to the June 25 nationwide protests.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Orengo said Lichuma, a member of the Mathare Social Justice Centre, remained in severe pain after he was found alive days after going missing following the June 25 demonstrations.
“Visited Davis Lichuma, a Mathare human rights activist abducted and tortured by state agents during the successful June 25th nationwide shutdown. What I saw is devastating. Davis is reeling in pain on his sickbed, unable to speak,” Orengo said.
Lichuma disappeared after the June 25 anniversary protests before resurfacing with injuries and being admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital.
He was arrested by police in the full glare of cameras but was never booked into any police station, just like 6 other activists, who were all subjected to torture and abandoned later.
Human rights organisations have called for investigations into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and the injuries he sustained.
Orengo accused the government of ignoring calls to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, referring to the 10-point agenda that the late Raila Odinga presented during political engagements with President William Ruto’s administration.
“The Ruto regime has found a horrific new way to torture dissenting voices, completely ignoring the stoppage of abductions and extrajudicial killings that Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga demanded in his 10-point agenda,” he said.
The governor also expressed support for Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who has moved to court seeking orders to compel authorities to account for two missing Mathare residents, Abdulaziz “Zizou” and Max, who have not been traced since the protests.
“I stand firmly with Comrade Babu Owino, who has filed a missing persons application for Abdulaziz Zizou and Max from Mathare, who are still missing. Our resolve to support these families is unshakable. We will fight for them in and outside the courts until justice is served,” Orengo said.
The remarks come after six other activists who had gone missing following the June 25 demonstrations were found abandoned in different parts of Nairobi and later admitted to hospital with injuries, according to human rights organisations.
The National Police Service has previously denied involvement in enforced disappearances and maintains that any allegations of misconduct by officers should be investigated through the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
Human Rights groups have continued to call for independent investigations into the reported disappearances and alleged torture of activists.