NAIROBI, Kenya— Activist Boniface Mwangi has made fresh allegations against the government following the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, claiming that armed, masked individuals involved in security operations were part of a “private militia.”
In a statement posted on X, Mwangi alleged that the unidentified individuals had been deployed during recent demonstrations and during the Ol Kalou by-election.
“The whole country now knows that Ruto has a private militia drawn from different police units,” Mwangi claimed.
He further alleged that the masked individuals had been involved in shootings, abductions and acts of intimidation, though he did not provide evidence to support the allegations.
Calls for Accountability
Mwangi urged Kenyans to identify and isolate the alleged group socially and economically, while calling on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to disclose the identities of armed individuals operating in civilian clothing.
He also named Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, and National Intelligence Service Director-General Noordin Haji, accusing them of allowing the alleged operations.
The activist claimed those responsible would eventually be held accountable for any unlawful actions.
Citizen’s Arrest Proposal
Mwangi further encouraged communities to resist the presence of armed individuals operating without identifiable police uniforms.
He said citizens should only comply with instructions from clearly identifiable uniformed security officers and suggested that communities could carry out citizen’s arrests against individuals they believed were unlawfully conducting security operations.
His remarks referenced incidents reported during the Ol Kalou by-election, where opposition leaders alleged violence and intimidation in parts of the constituency.
Government Yet to Respond
At the time of publication, the government, the National Police Service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the National Intelligence Service had not publicly responded to Mwangi’s specific allegations.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), in its post-election update, stated that while isolated incidents were reported during voting, they were addressed, and the commission maintained that the by-election was conducted transparently and peacefully.