A Kenyan court ruled Friday that the country’s acting police chief will serve six months in prison if he fails to appear for questioning in relation to the abduction of protesters. Gilbert Masengeli has been summoned to answer questions over the disappearance of three people who had been protesting previous abductions blamed on the police. Kenyan police have often been accused of running hit squads targeting people — including activists and lawyers — who investigate rights abuses by officers.The three men were allegedly abducted by men identifying themselves as police on August 19 in Kitengela, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of the capital Nairobi. The Independent Police Oversight Authority has said it was looking into multiple complaints of unlawful arrests and abductions in the wake of large-scale anti-government protests that broke out in Kenya in June. More than 60 people died during the protests themselves, leading to the resignation of police chief Japhet Koome. Masengeli, who took over as acting chief on July 25, has ignored several summons for the case involving the three missing people.On Friday, he was found guilty of contempt but given a week to appear in court to cancel his six-month sentence.Previous abduction cases have sparked furious protests in Kenya.In February 2023, three police officers were handed sentences ranging from 24 years in jail to the death penalty for the brutal murder of rights lawyer Willie Kimani and two other people.Their bodies were found wrapped in sacks and dumped in a river outside Nairobi in June 2016.
