High Court Summons Acting Police IG Over Disappearance of Three Activists in Kitengela

The High Court has summoned Acting Inspector General of Police, Gilbert Masengeli, to appear in person on Tuesday at 3 pm for questioning over the disappearance of three individuals in Kitengela two weeks ago.

On August 28, Justice Lawrence Mugambi directed the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Attorney General (AG), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Bob Micheni, Jamil Longton, and Aslam Longton to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which filed the case in court.

However, this order has yet to be complied with.

The LSK initiated the case, claiming that several reports indicate the three individuals were abducted by armed police officers, taken to undisclosed locations, and held incommunicado.

According to court documents, the trio had used their social media platforms to mobilize the youth to reject the Finance Bill in its entirety. They also allegedly encouraged Kenyans to participate actively in countrywide protests advocating for change.

The LSK alleges that the respondents, through armed police officers, began abducting the three individuals in response to their activism.

The court was informed that Bob Micheni was abducted on August 19, 2024, at approximately 10:40 pm by masked men as he was returning home via a matatu commonly known as the Rembo Shuttle in the Kasina area.

The other two, Jamil and Aslam Longton, were reportedly abducted on the same day around 2:00 pm while leaving their house in Kitengela. They were allegedly forced into a white Subaru, which then sped off to an unknown destination. They remain missing to this day.

The LSK emphasized that none of the three have been charged with any known offense in any Kenyan court.