Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo raises alarm over KDF’s role in abductions
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has implicated the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in the series of abductions that plagued the country last year.
Maanzo’s revelation comes amid ongoing criticism of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Charles Kahariri and NIS Director General Noordin Haji for warning Kenyans against making ‘Ruto Must Go’ chants without adhering to constitutional guidelines.
Speaking at the National Intelligence and Research University in Nairobi on Thursday, March 27, 2025, General Kahariri stated that the military would not participate in any actions aimed at overthrowing an elected government.
“We cannot have anarchy as a country. Even as people exercise their freedom, they must do so within certain limits. We, the military, are apolitical; we do not support any side,” Kahariri said.
“We defend the Constitution and the government of the day, duly elected by the people. Now that you feel tired of somebody you genuinely elected and begin to chant ‘Must Go’, that ‘Must Go’ should be done in accordance with the Constitution,” he added.
Kahariri and Noordin have been under criticism from all quarters for what many termed as an assault on the constitutional rights of Kenyans.
Speaking during a radio interview on Monday, March 31, 2025, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo sensationally claimed that the key suspects behind the spate of abductions in Kenya were not the police but the military and NIS chiefs.
According to Maanzo, who represented some of the abductees, KDF and NIS participated in the abductions of Kenyans based on information given by the victims after their release.
“We have abductions, and I would tell you the key suspects of abductions in this country are not the police. I was involved in those court cases, I represented some of the people who were released like Bob Njagi – they have stories to tell, and they have told them in the media,” Maanzo said.
The Makueni senator insisted that the key perpetrators of abductions in the country are KDF boss Kahariri and NIS chief Haji.
“The key suspects in the abductions, it is the same CDF chief and the same NIS chief. If you were to prosecute anybody in the international court,” he stated.
Maanzo noted that some abductees informed them that they were held in military confinements.
“I am saying the key suspects, from the information given by the abductees… at some points they were in military confinement. Who is the boss of the military? What were civilians doing in the military confinements?” he said.
The Makueni senator suggested that these claims of state organs participating in the abduction of citizens could lead to international legal action
According to Maanzo, the KDF boss and NIS chief should bear the sole responsibility for abductions if they are prosecuted in international courts.
“So if we were to get serious as a country, and I know some organizations are following this, and I know enough Kenyans have made reports to The Hague, and eventually if anybody should be prosecuted it would be those two (Kahariri and Haji),” Maanzo stated.
The senator’s remarks have reignited concerns about the role of security forces in civilian affairs and the protection of human rights in Kenya.
They add a layer of complexity to the ongoing debate about the limits of free speech and the accountability of state institutions.
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Martin Oduor
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