Former Public Service, Human Capital Development CS Justin Muturi/X
Former Attorney General and Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has warned against the increasing use of abductions by law enforcement agencies in Kenya, terming the trend “state terrorism” and a dangerous erosion of constitutional order.
In a statement titled “Abducting Kenyans Is Not Law Enforcement, It Is State Terrorism,” Muturi criticised the police for using fear, force, and secrecy in place of due process and legal procedure.
“What we are witnessing is not the evolution of law enforcement. It is the devolution into tyranny,” Muturi said.
He expressed concern over what he described as a chilling routine: masked or plainclothes officers storming residential areas in unmarked vehicles, abducting individuals without identification, and holding them incommunicado for hours or even days without access to family or legal representation.
Muturi pointed to Article 49 of the Constitution, which guarantees arrested persons the right to be informed of the reasons for arrest, access to a lawyer, and presentation before a court within 24 hours.
“These are not arrests. They are abductions. And abductions are not part of any legitimate policing. They are the hallmarks of police states, of juntas and despots,” he said.
A key focus of Muturi’s message is the growing public acceptance of these acts. He warned that the normalisation of terror by both the public and media, who often refer to abductions as “arrests,” is fuelling impunity and weakening the rule of law.
“When we shrug at the sight of unmarked vehicles snatching young people from the streets for participating in protests, we betray the Constitution we swore to uphold,” he noted.
Muturi further asserted that the abductions are politically motivated and targeted at critics of the regime, protestors, and citizens demanding accountability.
He called on President William Ruto and the Interior Ministry to take full responsibility and act urgently to stop the abuses.
“They must rein in rogue officers, disband covert arrest squads, and publicly reaffirm the supremacy of the Constitution. If they fail to do so, they risk taking Kenya down a dark, irreversible path.”
Muturi was emphatic that his statement was not about political rivalry but about the right of every Kenyan to live in a country governed by law, not fear.
“We cannot claim to be a democratic state while turning our
security apparatus into instruments of terror,” he said. “Because when the law
is suspended for one, it is suspended for all.”
