By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Several social media content creators and influencers were yesterday rounded up and taken to unknown destinations by people believed to be police officers. Among them is popular social commentator Gabriel Oguda, who works in the office of National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi as a political analyst. Mr Oguda was taken away from his home on Tuesday morning.
Others are Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo’s chief of staff Ernest Nyerere, John Frank Githaiga, alias Frenje, Drey Mwangi, Khalif Kairo Osama Otero, and many others.
The arrests are linked to their vocal stance against the unpopular Finance Bill 2024 online, which has sparked nationwide protests now in their second week. During a House sitting on Tuesday midmorning, Mr. Wandayi said Oguda called him at 2:20 a.m. to say that there were people he suspected to be police officers trying to break into his compound. “He said there were cops at his gate trying to break into his compound. I tried to get lawyers to handle the situation, but 10 minutes later, my phone calls were jammed,” the minority leader told the House.
“I was unable to make or receive phone calls until 6:30 a.m. They broke into his compound, broke his house’s door, and abducted him. We do not know his whereabouts, and don’t take it lightly.” Mr Wandayi said they searched for Oguda “in all police stations in Nairobi” but had not found him. “We don’t know whether they killed him or if they are holding him incommunicado somewhere,” he said.
LSK president Faith Odhiambo said they were following up on the whereabouts of these Kenyans, as well as Shadrack Kiprono, alias Shad. Kiprono was vocal in last week’s demos and was abducted on Saturday night in Nairobi’s South B area. In a statement on Tuesday morning, LSK condemned the abductions as a return to darkness, with Odhiambo vowing that the lawyers’ bodies will bring those orchestrating the abductions to book.
