Masked KDF Officers Detain 6 MUHURI Members Along Lamu-Malindi Highway

KHRC, MUHURI Condemn Detention of Six Members Along Lamu Highway

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) have condemned the detention of five MUHURI staff members and a board member by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers along the Malindi-Lamu highway.

In a press statement issued on September 29, KHRC and MUHURI said the six were travelling from Lamu to Mombasa after a field mission when they were detained between Gamba and Minjila.

The five MUHURI staff members are Francis Auma, Abdulrahman Mwangoka, Fredrick Okado, Lathan Yusuf and Mohamed Abdalla. MUHURI board member Khelef Khalifa was also affected during the incident.

According to KHRC and MUHURI, the incident happened after the KDF officers, who had covered their faces, refused to identify themselves.

The team demanded that the officers comply with a High Court ruling by Justice Bahati Mwamuye, which requires security officers to display clearly visible name tags or identifiable service numbers on their uniforms.

The ruling also prohibits officers from wearing hoods, balaclavas or face masks to conceal their identities.

The Six MUHURI Members Were Released After About Two Hours.

KHRC and MUHURI have called on the KDF and all security agencies to comply with the court ruling.

“Officers who violate the orders must be held accountable and face the consequences provided by law,” the organisations said.

The detention followed a three-day visit to Lamu County by the MUHURI team for a fact-finding mission.

The activists were investigating complaints over a lack of compensation and public participation surrounding the East African Oil Refinery project, which is scheduled to be launched by President William Ruto.

The team was heading back to Mombasa when they were stopped at about 1 pm, after passing the Gamba Police Station and joining the main Lamu-Malindi highway.

The highway is usually manned by officers from the Special Operations Group (SOG), an elite multi-agency unit within the National Police Service, primarily operating under the Administration Police Service’s Border Patrol Unit.

Officers Demanded Khalifa’s Identification

The officers reportedly demanded Khalifa’s national identity card as he sat in the front passenger seat of the Toyota Prado the group was travelling in.

Khalifa told the officers that he did not have his identification card with him. He then asked the officers to reveal their faces and display their service numbers, citing the court ruling.

“Any police officer, military or security officer who is on duty must display their service numbers and reveal their faces,” Khalifa said.

He said the officers had also not informed the group whether they were under arrest.

“If we are under arrest, let them tell us. And if we are not, we need to go. We have to get to Mombasa early enough,” Khalifa said.

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Organization Raises Safety Concerns

MUHURI rapid response officer Francis Auma said the situation escalated after Khalifa failed to produce his national ID card.

“But we all know that failing to carry a national ID card is not an offense,” Auma said.

He said the group was concerned about its safety because most of the approximately 20 officers at the scene had covered their faces with balaclavas.

“We have been detained and they have put spikes both in front and behind our vehicle. We cannot move forward or back,” Auma said.

Auma said the group asked to be taken to the nearest police station if they had been arrested, but their request was not granted.

He also said the officers complained that human rights activists had been giving them a hard time whenever they travelled along the highway.

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Exchange Captured on Video

A secretly recorded video from the scene captured an exchange between the activists and the officers. One officer could be heard saying the activists would remain at the scene for some time.

“Munasumbua sana,” one officer said, meaning you disturb a lot.

Another officer responded: “Wacha tu wakae na sisi hapa,” meaning let them stay with us here. During the exchange, Khalifa expressed his frustration and threatened to close the road.

“I don’t want to be stopped for nothing. You must tell us why you are stopping us,” he said.

Others who were with Khalifa and Auma were Abdulrahman Mwangoka, Frederick Okado, Lathan Yusuf and Mohamed Abdalla.

KHRC, MUHURI Call for Compliance with Court Orders

KHRC and MUHURI have also called for immediate compliance with a recent court order lifting the dusk-to-dawn curfew that had been imposed for more than a decade along the Minjila-Lamu highway.

The organisations said the curfew had created conditions for arbitrary stops, harassment and detention of travellers using the highway.

They urged the KDF and other security agencies to comply with court orders and ensure officers are held accountable when they violate them.

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