Kenya’s Top Cop Faces Jail Time Over Abduction Case

Kenya's acting Chief of Police, Gilbert Masengeli, was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to testify about the abductions of three men, allegedly by police. The High Court suspended the sentence for seven days to give Masengeli a final chance to appear in court.

Kenya's acting Chief of Police, Gilbert Masengeli, was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday for repeatedly ignoring court orders to testify about the whereabouts of three men allegedly abducted by police officers. The High Court in Nairobi has suspended his sentence for seven days, offering Masengeli a final chance to appear before the court.

The case was brought forward by the Law Society of Kenya, which is advocating for a court order to release the three men. These men, known for their outspoken support of anti-government protests on social media, went missing in August. Human rights activists claim that dozens involved in the protests were similarly abducted by state agents but were mostly released later.

President William Ruto has vowed to investigate these allegations but generally defends the state's security services' actions during the protests. Judge Lawrence Mugambi had summoned Masengeli seven times to divulge the men's locations, but Masengeli never complied.

Judge Mugambi's order states, "In the event that he does not submit himself to the Commissioner General of prisons, the minister of interior must take all legal steps to ensure that Gilbert Masengeli is committed to prison." Police spokeswoman Resila Onyango was not available for immediate comment.

On Thursday, Masengeli's lawyers appealed for the suspension of the contempt verdict, citing ongoing efforts to locate the missing men.

(With inputs from agencies.)