Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has called on Members of Parliament to urgently strengthen Kenya’s legal framework on enforced disappearances and abductions.
Speaking during a National Assembly Awareness Workshop on the Strategic Goods Control (SGC) Bill, 2025, held in Naivasha, Murkomen said legal loopholes are enabling abuse of security systems and trivializing the gravity of abduction crimes.
The CS raised alarm over an increasing trend of self-initiated or fake abductions, cautioning that such acts not only waste critical security resources but also downplay the severity of genuine cases of enforced disappearances.“We need a comprehensive legal framework that will punish those who exploit these situations for their own selfish interests, thereby misusing security resources that are essential for ensuring the safety of Kenyans,” Murkomen said.
His remarks follow the controversial saga involving the alleged abduction of Juja MP George Koimburi — a case police now believe may have been staged.The CS emphasized the need for Parliament to close legal gaps that enable such abuses, even as national and international concern grows over the persistent issue of enforced disappearances in Kenya.
Rights groups have in the past raised the alarm over unresolved abduction cases allegedly involving security forces.The event also marked the unveiling of the Strategic Goods Control Bill, 2025, a proposed legislation aimed at bolstering Kenya’s capacity to regulate the trade of strategic goods and materials, particularly those with potential use in the development of weapons of mass destruction.
The CS highlighted that the Bill is the result of years of coordinated efforts between public agencies, security partners, and key stakeholders since 2015, as the country moves to proactively manage Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) materials.“The Strategic Goods Control Bill, 2025, establishes a comprehensive system to regulate the trade of strategic goods, including dual-use items, munitions, and materials that could be used in the development of weapons of mass destruction,” said Murkomen.
He reminded lawmakers of Kenya’s painful history with such materials, referencing the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi and the 2012 fertilizer-based bomb attack on Moi Avenue, which together claimed dozens of lives and left many injured.
Murkomen urged Parliament to fast-track the passage of the SGC Bill and to take firm action on the issue of fake abductions, which he said divert attention and resources from addressing real national security threats.
