Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua has emphasized the need to stand against Kenya becoming a hub of abductions and enforced disappearances.

Speaking from her Kimunye home in Kirinyaga County on Saturday, January 25, 2025, Karua expressed deep concern over what she described as a systematic erosion of fundamental rights under the current administration.

“Let’s say no to Kenya being made a capital of abductions,” she declared.

Karua highlighted that the Constitution guarantees every Kenyan the right to life and other fundamental freedoms, rights she claims are now under threat. She accused the government of targeting youth who are working to bring positive change to society.

“Our Constitution guarantees you the right to life and all other fundamental rights. Today, the Ruto regime is abducting mainly our youth. Those who are helping transform this society are abducted and kept in illegal detentions,” Karua said.

She further pointed out that holding individuals in undisclosed locations amounts to illegal detention. According to her, victims of such abductions are often tortured, abandoned, or made to disappear entirely.

“Ameturudishia detention without trial. Our youths are being executed because when you are abducted, you are tortured, dumped somewhere, or made to disappear completely. People turn up dead; others disappear forever,” she added.

Cross-border abductions

Karua also referenced a broader regional crisis involving cross-border abductions. She brought up the November 2024 case of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who was reportedly abducted in Nairobi. Besigye had been scheduled to attend Karua’s book launch on November 17, 2024, but he failed to appear.

Reports later emerged that he had been transported to Uganda, where he was arraigned before the General Court Martial in Kampala on November 20, 2024.

“There are also abductions spread across East Africa, which is why Kizza Besigye was abducted in Kenya, how the Ugandan military entered Kenya, and last I checked, Nairobi was a capital of Kenya, not a municipality within Uganda,” she remarked.

The opposition leader also mentioned a failed attempt to abduct a Tanzanian individual in Kenya, which was thwarted after an online outcry by Kenyans.

Karua, who has just allied with impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, cautioned President William Ruto against veering toward authoritarianism, stating that Kenyans would not allow him to become a dictator.

She warned the Head of State, calling for an immediate end to the increasing wave of abductions and enforced disappearances in the country.

“To William Ruto, as Kenyans we will not allow you to graduate to a dictator. We will dethrone you,” she warned.

Karua’s fiery speech comes as Kenya faces mounting concerns over a series of abductions and enforced disappearances, which have been widely attributed to government agencies. These incidents have raised alarm with calls for accountability and justice growing louder.