Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka of the Wiper Party, Eugene Wamalwa of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), and Martha Karua of NARC Kenya took to the Milimani High Court on Wednesday, January 8, 2024, to demand the release of Steve Mbisi and other missing individuals.
The leaders, accompanied by members of the Law Society of Kenya, lawyers, and some of the recently released abductees, are calling for an end to enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings.
In a statement shared on social media, Eugene Wamalwa expressed concern over the increasing cases of abductions and the return of secret detention and torture chambers.
“We are back in court this morning with my Opposition colleagues, demanding answers from the State on the increasing abductions, enforced disappearances, and extra-judicial killings of government critics in our country. We demand the whereabouts of Steve Mbisi and the other abductees, an end to abductions, and a return to the rule of law, ” Wamalwa stated.
Back to Court this morning with my Opposition Colleagues @skmusyoka,@MarthaKarua,@NjiruAdv ,our fellow @LawSocietyofKe lawyers and some of the released abductees and their familiesof ,demanding answers from the State on the increasing abductions,enforced dissappearances and… pic.twitter.com/z4t8Bs9ceM
— Eugene L. Wamalwa (@EugeneLWamalwa) January 8, 2025
Wamalwa’s sentiments were echoed by Kalonzo Musyoka, who highlighted the regime’s disregard for fundamental freedoms.
“We are here to seek justice for our fellow Kenyans whose constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech and expression have been violated by an increasingly autocratic and uncaring regime,” Musyoka said.
He called out Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Noordin Haji, demanding accountability.
The court appearance follows the release of five abducted individuals earlier this week. Among them was Kibet Bull, a popular cartoonist who announced his freedom on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Billy Mwangi’s ordeal
Billy Mwangi, a popular X user who hails from Embu County was also released on Monday 6.
In an interview, Billy Mwangi revealed he was abducted on Saturday, December 21, 2024, after leaving a barber shop where the barber was busy. Upon exiting, a white double-cabin car approached, and its occupants bundled him into the vehicle.
“I expected to go and have a shave then come back and watch football with my dad because that is my normal weekend routine,” he said.
Billy recounted being blindfolded and taken elsewhere for a shave under strange circumstances. “I was shaved. I don’t know when it was done because I was scared and didn’t know anything happening around me at the time,” he revealed.
The popular X user narrated being released on Monday, January 6, 2025, clean-shaven. He said he was dropped in Nyeri, from where he boarded a vehicle to his parents’ home in Embu.
“I would love to thank my dad who has been up and down in court to ensure the son is released,” Mwangi said. Reflecting on the 15-day ordeal, he described it as a harrowing experience he wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Adding;
“It is good to criticize the government on small things but let them not go to extreme things that can lead you into trouble,” he advised
However, the fate of others, including Steve Mbisi, remains unknown.
