Lawyers representing the families of people injured and killed in Kisumu and Migori during the 2023 protests have urged a Kisumu Court to jail the Inspector General of Police (IG) Douglas Kanja and the Attorney General (AG) Dorcas Agik Oduor for contempt of court orders.

The petitioners’ lawyers asked the court to jail IG Kanja and AG Oduor for 10 months for failing to comply with court orders that directed them to prepare, develop, and publish public order management regulations to regulate and manage public demonstrations and picketing during protests.

Appearing before Judge Alfred Mabeya on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, they told the court that it should proceed and jail the two after they did not show up in court despite them sending their representatives.

They argued that the reasons tendered in court by the AG and Kanja’s representative on why the two could not honour the summons were not satisfactory.

AG Oduor did not provide evidence

Further, they averred that the AG representative did not produce evidence to confirm that she was indeed attending a cabinet meeting, which she was also attending.

“My lord, we have but been given any evidence that there is a cabinet meeting going on today and the reason why AG did not honour court summons and instead send a representative,” the lawyers submitted.

“My lord, the IG and AG cannot delegate duties to subordinates by sending them to represent them in court; we are submitting that the explanations given by the IG and AG representatives are not satisfactory,” they added.

Notably, Judge Mabeya was urged not to accept the reasons given to the court why Kanja and Oduor have not appeared before the court in person as ordered and that he should proceed and hand each of them a 10-month imprisonment.

“My lord, it is so demeaning to court for the contemnors not to appear before you as ordered, they are have defied the court orders. We pray you do not be persuaded by the reasons submitted to this court, we propose a 10-month imprisonment for them,” the petitioners’ lawyers submitted to court.

However, the court heard the processing of the orders issued by Justice Mabeya had already started, and the IG representative apologised on his behalf for not updating the court on the progress.