Embakasi East MP Babu Owino alleges political harassment after his brother-in-law was allegedly abducted by DCI officers and later released in Machakos.

A tense political standoff escalated early Friday morning when Geoffrey Ajiki, brother-in-law to outspoken MP Babu Owino, was released in Machakos after an alleged overnight abduction by suspected police officers.

This incident underscores the increasingly volatile political climate in Kenya. Owino's swift denunciation of the event as an intimidation tactic ahead of a major opposition rally highlights the deep-seated tensions between rival political factions and state security apparatus.

The Alleged Abduction by DCI Officers

The highly disturbing sequence of events began on Thursday afternoon when Geoffrey Ajiki urgently contacted Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino. Ajiki frantically reported that he had been forcibly apprehended by a group of six individuals identifying themselves as officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). According to the initial distress call, he was being aggressively transported to the Nairobi Area Police Headquarters.

However, Owino's immediate, frantic efforts to legally trace his relative at the specified station proved entirely fruitless. Ajiki's mobile phone was abruptly switched off, sparking intense fears of a politically motivated "enforced disappearance"—a dark, recurring theme in Kenya's turbulent political history.

A Sudden Release in Machakos

The intense anxiety broke early Friday morning when Owino formally announced via his official social media platforms that his brother-in-law had been inexplicably released. Ajiki was reportedly dropped off in Machakos County at approximately 04:00 East Africa Time (EAT), miles away from the initial point of alleged arrest.

• No formal criminal charges have been officially filed against Ajiki.
• The identities of the alleged arresting officers remain completely unverified.
• The release occurred in the dead of night without official police documentation.

Owino has fiercely characterized the terrifying episode not as a legitimate law enforcement operation, but as a deeply sinister act of political intimidation explicitly designed to break his resolve.

Connections to the Kakamega Political Rally

The timing of the alleged abduction is highly suspect, occurring merely hours before a massive, highly contested political rally scheduled in Kakamega. The rally, heavily organized by a dominant faction of the ODM party—including Owino and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna—has been a major flashpoint of tension with state security forces.

Owino publicly accused senior officials within the Interior Ministry of orchestrating the arrest to actively sabotage the opposition's grassroots momentum. "The rally that is being organized in Kakamega, we will be there. You cannot stop this rally," a defiant Owino declared in a widely circulated video broadcast, directly challenging the state's security apparatus.

A Broader Pattern of Intimidation?

This alarming incident follows a deeply concerning string of violent clashes at recent political gatherings. Just days prior, a similar opposition rally in Kitengela violently erupted into chaos when police officers aggressively attempted to disperse the massive crowds using tear gas, citing a blatant lack of prior notification—a claim fiercely disputed by the rally's organizers.

Civil society organizations and human rights watchdogs are increasingly raising urgent alarms regarding the blatant misuse of state security organs to actively harass opposition figures and their extended families. Such heavy-handed tactics not only severely violate fundamental constitutional rights but also risk triggering widespread, uncontrollable civil unrest.

"When family members become collateral damage in the brutal theater of politics, the very foundation of democratic engagement is fundamentally compromised," warned a leading Nairobi-based human rights lawyer.