Kidnapped man in dark room [Courtesy]
At least 150 kidnapping cases involving human rights activists have been reported in the county over the past year.
According to Salome Nduta, director of Haki Africa, the most recent case is that of Isiolo’s gender activist Elizabeth Ibrahim Ekuro, who was stabbed to death last week.
It is alleged that Ekuro’s assailant lured her from a burial site to a nearby forest and repeatedly stabbed her, leaving her bleeding to death.
In addition, Nduta said most human rights activists live in fear as attacks on human rights activists, especially women, continue to increase in the country.
She said the state should investigate these cases, saying the kidnappings, disappearances and killings appeared to have been committed by some state actors or by criminals with the aim of intimidating them.
“We want the government to speed up investigations into reported attacks on women human rights defenders, as we now live in fear and cannot perform our duties in peace, especially when no action is taken against them. authors, ”she said.
Human rights defenders on the coast want the government to assure them of their safety after a series of kidnappings and killings.
Lawyer Yusuf Abubakar said the government has not clearly explained the kidnapping and disappearance of many Kenyans, but some of them are well known.
“We want the government to give us answers because with the approach of the elections, we fear that the criminals will use the excuse of the lack of investigations to escape with the crime”, he declared.
George Owuor, another activist, called on the government to protect its citizens before the case gets out of hand and people take matters into their own hands.
“The president has vowed to protect the lives of Kenyans but the current events are not at all encouraging. I want to ask Kenyans to be vigilant and speak up for ourselves, ”he said.
