NAIROBI, Kenya—Outspoken Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili, popularly known as Babu Owino, has urged all university student leaders to call for anti-government protests over ongoing abductions.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker with an educational background in actuarial science, holding a first-class honours degree, decried the abductions of comrades.
“All university student leaders must call for nationwide protests to demand the release of all abducted comrades,” said Babu Owino in a statement on his official X account.
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Babu Owino, a strong critic of President William Ruto’s administration, said the government of the day could not continue killing comrades and student leaders and get comfortable about it.
“Student leaders, wacheni kutungusha, injury to one comrade is an injury to all comrades,” added Babu Owino.
Babu Owino’s previous role at SONU
The youthful lawmaker was previously involved with the Students Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU), where he served as its chairman.
He resigned from SONU on May 1 after being nominated for a political position in the ODM party and university.
Still later, he returned to lead SONU again in July 2020.
The growing number of kidnappings of government critics has also alarmed the Kenya National Commission of Human Rights.
According to the body, “unidentified armed individuals” have abducted at least 82 people since anti-government demonstrations in June, and 29 of them are still unaccounted for.
What IPOA said about the abductions
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) declared on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, that it is looking into the recent disappearances of people who are critical of President Ruto’s administration on social media.
Although the IPOA did not specifically blame security forces, it did ask the Inspector General of Police to “take urgent measures to stop this growing and worrying trend of abductions in the country.”
These concerns follow the recent disappearance of Bernard Kavuli, Billy Mwangi, and Peter Muteti.
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There have also been reports of a fourth individual being kidnapped in recent days; their identity has not been made public.
According to witnesses quoted by the Kenyan media, Muteti was kidnapped by a gang of guys outside a shop in the Uthiru neighbourhood of Nairobi and loaded into a car; one of the kidnappers was dressed in a police uniform.
Amnesty International is among the rights organisations that have linked the police with being behind the kidnappings.
