They were very friendly – Maina Njenga narrates experience in kidnappers hands
Official Maina Njenga, who was abducted for twenty-four hours, has been able to recount his traumatic ordeal.
The former Mungiki leader told the Star that in mid-September, a group of men wearing balaclavas apprehended him in Kiambu and forcibly loaded him into a vehicle.
“Friendly criminals” was how Njenga characterized the kidnapping crew.
The squad, which he suspects were the police, concealed every feature of their faces; he would be unable to identify them even if they were to cross paths today.
Dark-framed spectacles prevented him from even penetrating their eyes.
“They sandwiched me in the back seat. I was made to sit between two hefty men. They handled me gently, even when blindfolding me,” he said.
Two hours later, when the vehicle came to a complete halt, he was transferred to a second group of abductors.
Subsequently, he was instructed to disembark and was escorted to a residence that he characterized as a secure haven. Upon ascending the stairs (approximately ten floors), his blindfold was removed, and he discovered himself in an exceptionally furnished apartment.
As he ascended the stairs, two men prevented him from falling by holding his hands.
A different group of men, this time devoid of balaclavas, questioned him for an extended period about his relationship with Azimio chief Raila Odinga and why he was engaged in the organization of maandamano after he entered the apartment.
“I even asked for chicken and they would make sure I have it. The guys could cook or just bring food in and I had no way of knowing from where. But even as I ate, I was telling myself if these guys want to poison me, I am ready. I had nothing to fear,” he stated.
Maina reported that the abductors were extremely cordial and even addressed him as “chairman” as they dragged him from his banana grove in Kiambu.
Amidst the approximately two-hour journey, Njenga further stated that they engaged in cordial dialogues.
“They were good criminals. Even when we got out of the car, they held my hands and told me where to step as we went to the house where they kept me,” he stated.
The house, according to Njenga, was self-contained and completely furnished, including a boardroom.
“Inside the house, the abductors wore masks and I was not blindfolded. We would chat about general things but they kept telling me I caused problems during the Opposition demonstrations,” he stated.
According to Njenga, he stated that all he desired was for leaders to convene and discuss matters that impact the Kenyan people.
“I asked them why they did not go for Baba and they said I am the one who mobilized people during the demonstrations,” he added.
On Saturday, September 16 at approximately 10:15 p.m., Njenga was abandoned in Limuru, Kiambu County, and was offered a farewell farewell after being warned not to discuss his ordeal.
They informed him, as they released him, that he had been abandoned approximately one kilometer from his residence.
He boarded a motorbike even though the gang had given him Sh2,000 to hail a taxi.
The announcement was made several hours after the Azimio La Umoja coalition asserted that Njenga had been abducted by unidentified corrupt police officers.
“The abductors were therefore easily part of the Special Support Unit that terrorized Kenyans during the anti-tax protests. The SSU is therefore very much alive, active, and determined to intimidate and even harm Kenyans,” said Azimio in a statement.
The authorities have not yet provided a statement regarding the matter.
They were very friendly – Maina Njenga narrates experience in kidnappers hands