Parliament Demands Answers on Nairobi Disappearances

(NAIROBI, KENYA) – Three men from Mathare constituency have disappeared within 72 hours in circumstances that have sparked protests and led to one death, prompting MPs to demand answers from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

Mathare MP Anthony Oluoch told Parliament the missing men are Joel Kariuki Mwai, Michael Oloo Osura and Abdulaziz Molu. Their families believe they were seized by security officers.

Mr Oluoch said Joel Kariuki Mwai, a businessman and former MCA aspirant in Mathare, was allegedly abducted on 18 June 2026 by armed individuals dressed in civilian clothing.

Michael Oloo Osura disappeared the following day in the Umoja area near Caltex.

On 20 June, Maximilian Kiarie was also allegedly arrested by people using a vehicle without registration plates near Kizito station in Githurai. Abdulaziz Molu vanished the same day in the Kiamaiko area.

“These events have caused great fear among their families due to claims that they were abducted by people who identified themselves as security officers,” Mr Oluoch said.

The disappearances are now among the issues Mr Murkomen is expected to answer before Parliament. MPs want the Minister to state the whereabouts of the three men and to confirm whether any security unit was involved in their arrest.

Starehe MP Amos Mwago said a rise in abduction cases, especially in Nairobi, had caused great anxiety and triggered protests that have already led to the death of one person in Mathare.

“We want the Minister to tell us where these people are to prevent further deaths, because citizens are still protesting and they are angry,” Mr Mwago said.

Mr Murkomen was expected to appear before the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Tuesday, but he did not attend because he was in a Cabinet meeting.

Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Dr Belio Kipsang represented the ministry instead. He told MPs the Minister had formally authorised him to stand in.

“Yesterday evening he directed me to attend this meeting on his behalf,” Dr Kipsang said.

However, MPs refused to proceed with the session, insisting that the matters before them were serious and required the Minister to answer in person.

Committee chairperson Gabriel Tongoyo said the issues could only be properly explained by the Interior Minister alone.

Beyond the abduction cases, MPs also want Mr Murkomen to clarify claims about foreigners obtaining Kenyan national identity cards and passports through unlawful means.

Additionally, they want an explanation on the security situation in the Angata Barikoi area of Trans Mara, a rise in cases of missing children and the circumstances that led to the death of one child in Tharaka Nithi County.

MPs want to know what steps the government has taken to ensure the citizenship of applicants is verified before they are issued identity cards or passports. They also want an investigation into foreigners who obtained these documents through fraud over the past five years.

Mount Elgon MP Fred Kapondi said Dr Kipsang could answer questions on immigration only, but not those concerning national security.

“If the Minister wanted to send a representative, then he should have sent the Principal Secretary for Internal Security Dr Raymond Omollo. We need time to question the Minister himself on these sensitive issues,” Mr Kapondi said.

Nakuru Woman Representative Liza Chelule said cases of missing children and a rise in gender based violence were emergency matters requiring direct answers from the Interior Minister.

“These are very serious matters. We want the Minister to appear personally before this committee and provide answers that will reassure Kenyans,” Ms Chelule said.