KENYA’S acting chief of police, Gilbert Masengeli, was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday for repeatedly ignoring court orders to testify on the whereabouts of three men allegedly abducted by police officers. The High Court in Nairobi has suspended the sentence for seven days, giving Masengeli one last opportunity to appear in court before facing imprisonment.
The case, brought forward by the Law Society of Kenya, seeks a court order for the release of three men who were reportedly taken by police in August and have not been heard from since. The men had been vocal on social media in support of mass anti-government protests in June and July, which led to widespread claims of police abductions of demonstrators. Human rights groups say many protests were held incommunicado, with most later released.
President William Ruto has pledged to investigate these accusations but has broadly defended the actions of state security forces during the protests. Judge Lawrence Mugambi had summoned Masengeli seven times to provide information on the missing men, but the acting police chief consistently failed to comply.
‘In the event that he does not submit himself to the Commissioner General of Prisons, the minister of interior must take all steps necessary to ensure Gilbert Masengeli is committed to prison,’ Mugambi stated in his order.
Masengeli’s legal team has asked the court to suspend the contempt verdict, arguing that efforts to locate the missing men are ongoing. The police spokesperson, Resila Onyango, has yet to comment on the case. Masengeli is expected to return to court within a week to avoid jail time.
