Kingi declines request for special sitting to discuss abductions

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has declined a request by ex-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's ally to convene a special sitting to discuss abductions. 

Kingi said such a request could only be made by either the Leader or Minority Leader.

In a letter dated December 27, 2024, Nyandarua Senator John Methu asked Kingi to convene a special sitting of the Senate.

“I note that the request is anchored on Standing Order 33(1) of the Senate Standing Orders,” Kingi stated.

The standing order provides that “whenever during a session of the Senate stands adjourned, whether or not a day has been appointed for the next meeting, the Speaker may, on the request of the Senate Majority Leader or Senate Minority Leader, and in each case with the support of at least fifteen senators, appoint a day for a Special Sitting of the Senate.”

Kingi said Methu’s request does not meet the requirements set out in standing order 33(1). Human rights organisations have claimed at least 82 Kenyans have been abducted since protests began in June last year, including six in the recent weeks.

The people who went missing were alleged to be in the custody of security agents, although the police have denied any involvement in the abductions.

Five of those who disappeared last December were freed by their alleged abductors on Monday.

Police confirmed that Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti, and Rony Kiplagat had rejoined their families, while a fourth individual turned himself in at a police station. Cartoonist Gideon Kibet—known as Kibet Bull—also resurfaced.

The abductions have sparked a widespread public outcry in the country by citizens seeking accountability from the government for the abductions.

Responding to the outcry, National Police Service released a contradicting statement refuting any allegations of police involvement in the reported abductions in the country.

Activists have said the wave of abductions in Kenya is a blatant violation of the Constitution of Kenya and the international human rights conventions, which guarantee fundamental rights such as personal liberty, the right to a fair trial, protection from torture, and due process.

They say the abductions undermine public trust in the police and the justice system and they breach Kenya’s international human rights commitments.

President William Ruto has promised to ensure the abductions stop.