The government is rooting for the enactment of a law to confront legally the rising cases of forced disappearances and staged kidnappings and abductions in the country.
The move seeks to put in place a legal framework that addresses the current gaps in the law after public outcry regarding open kidnappings of Kenyans, especially at the height of Gen Z protests last year.
However, amidst calls for a transparent review of past abductions, the CS for Internal Security, Kipchumba Murkomen, said that security agencies have flagged increased incidences of fake and staged kidnappings and disappearances in the recent past.
Murkomen singled out the recent case involving Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburu, whom security heads termed a fake and well-orchestrated event after the MP continued being hospitalised at Agha Khan Hospital in Nairobi.
Murkomen said the MP case raised tensions among Kenyans, with the government being put to the task to unravel the alleged abductions.
The CS said there’s a need to put a proper legal framework that gives serious punishment against perpetrators of staged abductions who have gone to lengths to seek public sympathy while others extort money from relatives.
“The case for the MP for Juja George Koimburi was staged and orchestrated by persons known to him in a move that dilutes the seriousness of the matter at hand,” said Murkomen.
Murkomen said currently, laws addressing staged abductions and kidnappings are still weak, noting that Parliament must move with speed to enact a law that will confront the rising scenarios amidst a heightened political environment.
He reiterated President William Ruto’s promise to stop cases of extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and abductions in the country, adding that the government will deal with any incidents to the letter, warning that no individual is above the law.
The CS was speaking in Naivasha during an engagement with MPs on the Strategic Trade Control Committee on the proposed Strategic Goods Control Bill (2025) that seeks to curb the proliferation of goods and weapons of mass destruction in the country.
On the proposed Strategic Goods Control Bill, Murkomen said the law will help address the import and export of strategic goods that pose a National Security threat to the country.
Murkomen termed Kenya as a key trading route from Mombasa port through the Northern corridor to other neighbouring countries, hence the need to control materials being transported on the route for security purposes.
He added that the bill will help the country to combat the proliferation of military and security equipment and goods which may be used to disrupt national security by criminal elements and terrorists.
Murkomen regretted that due to the illicit trade of strategic materials, the country has in the past lost security personnel and civilians through explosives such as IEDs, particularly in Northern Kenya and Mboni forest in Lamu.
He tasked the lawmakers to acquaint themselves with the contents of the bill to address the rise in misinformation, disinformation and fake news that have in the past crippled crucial government bills.
The proposed law, the CS said will penalise perpetrators and violators with a hefty fine of up to Sh. 50 million and a sentence of over 10 years for trading with strategic goods without permits.
According to MP Rasso Ali, the bill, once passed into Law will control the movement of dangerous goods and materials that may pose security risks to the country and region.
He added the bill, which has been mooted since 2018, once enacted, will allow the traceability of imported harmful materials, their storage and use to enhance the country’s national security.
On his part, James Potts, the Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in Nairobi, said Kenya will be the third country in Africa to pass the legislation on strategic goods.
Once enacted, the law will safeguard Kenya’s ability to combat terrorism and trading materials of mass destruction within its borders and in the continent.
Potts said the law will also allow investors in critical areas such as semiconductors to set up shop in the country backed by a legal infrastructure.
The adoption of the bill is expected to provide a framework to mitigate challenges that may expose the country as an attractive target for the smuggling and proliferation of harmful materials, goods and chemicals.
By Erastus Gichohi
