Missing protester Muteti Mulinge found alive and injured in Lukenya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 25 – Activist Boniface Muteti Mulinge, who had been missing since his alleged arrest during a protest in Nairobi, has been found alive and injured in Lukenya, Machakos County.

Mulinge was reportedly found early Friday after he was allegedly dumped in the area at around 3am.

Human rights official Hussein Khaled said Mulinge was weak and disoriented when he was found and had sustained injuries.

Khaled said Mulinge walked for a long distance after he was allegedly left in Lukenya before reaching a Shell petrol station, where a Good Samaritan helped him contact his brother using a phone.

He was later taken to hospital for medical attention.

Mulinge had reportedly gone missing on September 21 after he was allegedly arrested while participating in demonstrations in Nairobi over the continued detention of Ugandan opposition figures, including opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

His disappearance had triggered a court case at the Milimani Law Courts, where an application was filed seeking orders compelling the police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to account for his whereabouts.

The application was filed by Francis Awino under constitutional provisions protecting personal liberty and the right to habeas corpus.

Awino told the court that Mulinge had informed people close to him that he had been arrested shortly before communication with him stopped.

His phone subsequently became unreachable, prompting efforts to establish his whereabouts.

According to the petition, organisers had notified the Kenya Police Service on September 16 of the planned demonstration, including details of the date, route and expected attendance.

Awino also cited a September 22 charge sheet relating to the arrest and processing of other activists following incidents along Mama Ngina Street in Nairobi.

Mulinge, however, was not listed among those named in the charge sheet, according to the petition.

A report over his disappearance was subsequently made to the police on September 23 under OB No. 46, the petitioner said.

The application named Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and DCI Director Mohammed Amin as respondents.

Awino had sought orders requiring the respondents to disclose Mulinge’s whereabouts and produce records relating to his alleged arrest, custody, transfer, release or processing.

These included Occurrence Book entries, station diary records, custody records and detainee registers.

The petitioner had also asked the court to issue directions requiring Mulinge to be produced before the court within 24 hours of service of the orders, or within a period determined by the court.

Awino said the application was not intended to interfere with any lawful investigation or prosecution, but to establish whether Mulinge was in police or other custody and the legal basis for his detention.

The discovery of Mulinge alive in Lukenya has provided an update on his whereabouts, although the circumstances surrounding how he ended up in the area and the injuries he sustained remain unclear.

There was no immediate public statement from the police on the circumstances surrounding Mulinge’s disappearance and subsequent discovery.