42-Day Delay in Family's Identification of Activist's Body Raises Questions

The police have raised questions after revealing that it took around 42 days for the family to identify the body of activist Ibrahim Hilal Mwiti after it was initially discovered.

This delay occurred despite confirmation of his identity by police shortly after its discovery. Mwiti's body was found in the early hours of November 12, 2024, by Juja Traffic Police. Following the discovery, police collected his fingerprints, which were sent to the National Registration Bureau. On November 21, 2024, the bureau returned a positive identification.

Nevertheless, Mwiti’s family, who had reported him missing, spent weeks searching various mortuaries in Nairobi without success. They ultimately identified his body at Thika Level 5 Hospital on January 3, 2025. This extended timeline has raised serious questions about the handling of the case, particularly amidst suspicions of abduction.

Despite the circumstances surrounding Mwiti’s death, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja denied any allegations of abduction during the Afripol Extra-Ordinary General Assembly Meeting on November 28, 2024. He asserted that Mwiti died in a hit-and-run incident while riding a motorcycle on the Thika Super Highway. The National Police Service (NPS) noted that Mwiti’s body was initially recorded as unidentified due to the absence of identification documents at the scene.

The motorcycle involved in the incident was secured at the Juja Traffic Office, followed by further investigations that led to his official identification. Mwiti had been reported missing on November 15, 2024, at Kamukunji Police Station, and again on November 18, 2024, at Juja Police Station, with police records indicating he was last seen alive on November 11, 2024. Despite early identification efforts by the police, his family pursued their searches that ultimately concluded over a month later with the discovery of his body.

Due to religious considerations, the family sought a waiver for a postmortem examination and requested the release of Mwiti’s body, which was granted by the Thika Law Courts on January 2, 2025. He was laid to rest at Lang'ata Muslim Cemetery the following day. In a statement to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on January 4, 2025, Mwiti's mother clarified that her son was not the activist he was reported to be but rather a delivery man with an active social media presence.

This incident is part of a troubling trend of alleged abductions in Kenya, particularly involving government critics and young demonstrators. Public outcry has mounted, pressing the government to confront issues of forced disappearances and abductions. Anti-abduction protests erupted in Nairobi’s central business district on December 30, 2024, reflecting widespread societal unrest regarding these unresolved issues.