Abel Kimutai: Man Linked to Kidnapping Cases in Kenya Threatens 2 X Users

A former DCI detective identified as Abel Kimutai has sought to clear his name after being linked to the recent kidnapping
Pictures of Kimutai were posted on social media, where publishers claimed he was running a network to arrest online critics of the government.
He said the posts put him in danger, due to the anger that Kenyans have had demanding the release of the critics

Nairobi – A man whom some social media users identified as the mastermind of the recent series of kidnappings has come forward to defend himself.

Abel Kimutai wrote to the DCI to take action against social media users who linked him to the kidnapping. Photo: Booklet.
Source: Twitter

Abel Kimutai has been heavily criticized in the last 24 hours, especially after the speech of the former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua where he indicated that the previously mentioned person may be responsible for the kidnapping.

What he told the DCI the main suspect of the kidnapping

Gachagua, without giving further details, mentioned on December 27 that a man named “Abel” was leading a special unit – outside of the country's security forces – that takes by force and kidnaps government critics.

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Some users of X, formerly Twitter, picked up on the narrative and identified Kimutai as the mastermind behind the ousted vice president.

Unconfirmed news trackers identified him as “fraud detective” who works under the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

They claimed he ran a kidnapping squad; others went ahead to post pictures of him and his contacts on their platforms.

While admitting that he once served in DCI as a fraud detective before resigning in 2022, Kimutai, through his lawyer, said the connection to the kidnapping put him at risk.

“This cyberbullying has put her at great risk of harm given the public nature of the abduction issue,” TUKO.co.ke read and quoted the letter sent to DCI.

Kimutai singled out two X users whose posts went viral on their accounts.

One was identified as Daniel Onyango, and the other by his handle X @DanChepta.

According to him, their posts violated the Computer Misuse and Internet Offenses Act, Section 27, because they were false and malicious.

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Seeking a solution from the DCI, he asked the agency to initiate an investigation and action against the two.

“We are officially filing a complaint against Daniel Onyango and @DanChepta for online harassment and we want action to be taken against them for putting our client at risk through defamation and harassment,” said Kimutai through his lawyer.

Gachagua, in his newspaper, claimed to be aware of the conspiracy to kidnap citizens who disagree with the government.

What Gachagua revealed about the force that kidnaps Kenyans

He claimed that a special unit designed to monitor critics is operating from a building in Nairobi and is headed by a senior officer who is not Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.

Gachagua threatened to expose those operating the kidnapping network if the alleged unit was not disbanded.

The National Police Service (NPS) had previously distanced itself from such illegal activities, with Inspector General Douglas Kanja saying that the service follows standing orders, which reflect how the criminal justice system works, with kidnapping excluded.

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How many Kenyans were kidnapped before Christmas 2024?

At least five Kenyans have gone missing since December 21.

Bloggers Peter Muteti and Billy Mwangi were kidnapped on December 21 from different locations.

Muteti was taken from the Uthiru area of Nairobi, while Billy was from Embu county; the two were accused of publishing offensive content against leaders.

On December 24, digital cartoonist Gideon Kibet, aka Bull, was chosen by anonymous people.

Kibet became famous after publishing scandalous pictures showing the President William Ruto.

Using his X account, which has more than 86,000 followers, the 23-year-old captivated his audience with cartoons that appeared to depict the president in various styles as a form of anti-government activism.

Kibet disappeared two days after his younger brother Ronny Kiplagat was also kidnapped.

Also missing is Bernard Kivuli, a journalism student in Nairobi who was kidnapped in Ngong, Kajiado county.