Media virtuoso Macharia Gaitho has shared details of his harrowing Wednesday morning abduction, which ended with his release on grounds of mistaken identity.
Narrating his ordeal from Karen Police Station, where he was abducted, Gaitho explained that he had gone to seek help after being blocked by a private vehicle while leaving his home.
Upon driving into the Karen Police Station, Gaitho realized that two cars followed him. Unknown men then forced him into a waiting white Probox.
"I was sandwiched between two men in civilian clothes, I was handcuffed, and I was assaulted," Gaitho recounted. The abductors demanded to know why he was resisting arrest, but Gaitho defended himself, saying, "I don't know who you are; you have not identified yourselves."
"They drove me down Lang'ata Road up to the turn-off to Lang'ata South Road, where they stopped and made a few calls. I gathered they were talking to their superior," he said.
After a prolonged conversation, the abductors turned back towards Karen and stopped at a Shell petrol station located at the Karen shopping center.
"That is when they asked for my ID. I gave it to them. They looked at it and asked, 'You're the same Francis Macharia Gaitho?' I said, 'Yes,'" Gaitho noted.
One abductor then made several phone calls and minutes later asked for Gaitho's phone number, which he refused to provide.
"After another long call, they came back, and the guy sitting behind was asked to remove my handcuffs. They then told me it was a case of mistaken identity and that I was free to go," Gaitho added, saying they took him back to the police station.
Defiant and inquisitive, Gaitho opted to report the matter at the same police station as an attempted abduction.
"They did not explain how it could be mistaken identity or how they could have trailed me from near my home. As far as I was concerned, those were still criminals," he said.
Gaitho was directed to escalate the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, which he refused.
"I got a call from the OCPD Lang'ata, who told me to go talk to her there. I said no; if she wants to talk to me, she can come here. Now she has told me they are sending someone to take my statement. That is what I am waiting for," he said.
The veteran journalist believes that his mysterious abduction is tied to his professional work as a columnist, noting that unlawful practices by the state should be met with firm objection and hold those responsible culpable.
"I am not the first person to be abducted or arrested. It is clear that all these things are connected—that police are operating outside the law. On this, we must lay blame where it squarely lies: on the government of Kenya, the director of DCI, and the National Police Service," he protested.
"We cannot sit back and watch Kenya descend into a lawless state."
Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) president Zubeida Kananu lamented the now-prevalent and evident attacks on journalists, which she says is a blatant attempt to censor the Kenyan media from informing citizens.
"We are not criminals; our work is to inform Kenyans on what is happening. When you handcuff a journalist without telling them the reason why, what really is your intention?" Kananu posed.
This comes amid incessant abductions by Kenya police in the past month, following anti-government protests.
Widespread videos shared online have shown officers bundling Kenyans and persons of interest into cars by unidentifiable individuals believed to be connected to national security branches.
In its recent update, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported that 59 people have been abducted by the police and reported missing since the protests began, with 50 killed by police.
"The number of those arbitrarily arrested is at 682. We condemn the abductions and arrests and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained persons in relation to the protests," KNCHR chairperson Roseline Odede told a press conference.