ADVERT 
James Orengo has alleged that outspoken Bunge La Mwananchi activist Evance Kawala, popularly known as “Kidero Jasuba,” was abducted by state operatives in what is shaping up to be another politically charged disappearance claim targeting government critics.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday night, the Siaya governor accused President William Ruto’s administration of silencing dissent through intimidation and unlawful crackdowns on vocal activists.
“Tonight, the Ruto administration resorted to desperate measures by abducting Evance ‘Kidero Jasuba’ Kawala, a vocal champion of the Jacaranda Bunge La Mwananchi, simply for speaking truth to power,” Orengo claimed.
The veteran opposition figure said Kawala had become a target because of his outspoken criticism of the government during public political forums associated with the popular Jacaranda Grounds Bunge La Mwananchi movement.
Orengo further assured supporters and members of Bunge La Mwananchi that efforts were underway to trace Kawala’s whereabouts and secure his release.
“To the Bunge La Mwananchi family: stay firm. We are actively on this case and will see it through to the end,” he stated.
The governor condemned the alleged incident as a dangerous assault on democratic freedoms, arguing that intimidation of critics exposes weakness within government ranks.
“Oppression only signals a government’s weakness. You can abduct a critic, but you cannot chain the spirit of defiance,” Orengo added.
He also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Kawala.
The claims now add to a growing list of alleged abduction and intimidation incidents involving political activists and opposition-linked figures in Kenya, amid heightened political tensions ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The latest accusations come barely weeks after allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged that one of his close associates had similarly been abducted under mysterious circumstances.
According to lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, DCP Political Affairs Director Stanley Kimure was allegedly seized near Rironi by individuals believed to be police officers driving a Subaru Forester before later resurfacing in Kajiado.
Njiru claimed Kimure was subsequently presented before the Kajiado Law Courts by officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
“We have traced the freedom fighter to Kajiado. He is being charged before the Kajiado Law Courts,” Njiru stated.
The lawyer further alleged that investigators wanted Kimure to implicate Gachagua in serious criminal claims, including alleged possession of arms and tear gas canisters — accusations that have intensified political controversy around the former deputy president’s camp.
The alleged disappearance of Kidero Jasuba is likely to deepen concerns among civil society groups and opposition leaders over rising claims of political intimidation, enforced disappearances, and shrinking democratic space in the country.
Neither the National Police Service nor the Directorate of Criminal Investigations had officially responded to Orengo’s allegations by Tuesday night.
