Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua sensationally claimed there is a secret unit that has masterminded the recent abductions in the country.
The unit being led by a relative of a senior government official has abducted and tortured many, Gachagua claimed on Friday from his Nyeri home at a press conference.
Gachagua claimed the unit is led by a man he only identifies as ‘Abel’, who is related to a senior government official.
“There is a unit that is not under the command of the IG of Police. There’s a building in Nairobi the 21st floor at the city center, where the unit is operating from, led by a certain Mr. Abel. Abel is a cousin to a very senior official in this government,” Gachagua said.
“And if this unit is not dismantled we will be giving the name of the building and the full names of that officer and his cousin. Your guess is as good as mine as to who is the commander of that unit.”
He accused president William Ruto of remaining silent on the abductions.
He questioned the similarity between victims, who have been seen to criticize Ruto.
Gachagua argued Kenyans are angry with Ruto’s administration and “killing our children will not quell the anger of Kenyan people.”
“Abducting young people is not a solution, you must address the cause of discontent. Why are people aggrieved with this administration?”
Gachagua added that since independence, it is only Ruto’s administration that has targeted children.
“The question the President must address is – why has everybody turned against you and the administration in only two years. That is what you need to interrogate instead of persecuting these children,” he said.
The revelations by Gachagua follows unanswered questions about the persons behind the abductions.
On Thursday, Inspector General Douglas Kanja dismissed allegations that the National Police Service (NPS) had been conducting the abductions.
The IG warned the public against falling for malicious reports that are meant to taint the image of the police force.
“We therefore appeal to the public to refrain from spreading false, fabricated, malicious, distasteful, misinformed and unverified information aimed at tarnishing the reputation and image of the National Police Service,” he said.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) would later dismiss links to the abduction of cartoonist Gideon Kibet alias Kibet Bull.
Kibet is among six youths who have been abducted this month after making controversial social media posts targeted towards Ruto and his government.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said that since June, 29 people have been reported missing from abductions.
The commission added that so far, there are 13 abduction cases have been reported in the last three months bringing to 82 the total cases since June 2024.
Steve Kavingo Mbisi, Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, Bernard Kavuli, Rony Kiplang’at and Gideon Kibet alias Kibet Bull have been abducted in December, bringing the total number of abductions since June to 82.