As per reports by People’s Daily, details have now emerged on how President William Ruto reportedly formed an abduction squad that has been used to unleash terror on government critics.
The executive director of Human Rights Watch, Mausi Segun, and associate director, Otsieno Namwaya, shared these details of the special unit during the launch of the 2025 Human Rights Watch report on Thursday.
Namwaya, the Associate Director of Human Rights Watch, claimed that after Ruto took office in 2022, he disbanded the Special Services Unit (SSU), which had been infamously used during the Uhuru Kenyatta regime for questionable operations.
However, rather than dismantling these operations, Ruto reportedly replaced the SSU with the newly formed Operation Support Unit (OSU).
The OSU, according to Namwaya, carries out similar covert missions as the SSU, including alleged abductions.
The Operation Support Unit is said to consist of personnel from several government agencies, including the National Police Service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the National Intelligence Service (NIS), and the military.
This highly coordinated team reportedly operates with the authority to conduct secretive and potentially unlawful activities.
Further adding to the controversy, Namwaya revealed that the government had placed an advert in local newspapers seeking skilled sharpshooters for recruitment into the OSU.
This initiative allegedly underscores the seriousness of the unit’s operations, which are said to extend beyond routine law enforcement to more sinister objectives, such as abductions and intimidation of dissenters.
In addition to the OSU, it is reported that President Ruto also created another unit called the Operation Action Unit.
This squad, described by Namwaya, is said to comprise individuals drawn from the DCI, NIS, military, and some members of the OSU.
The purpose of this new squad, according to the reports, is to further intimidate and eliminate government opposition through clandestine actions.
Mausi Segun, the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, supported these claims, stating that many governments across the world create such units with the sole purpose of instilling fear among their critics.
These specialized units are allegedly tasked with eliminating a few vocal critics of the government to create an atmosphere of fear, making it more difficult for others to voice dissent.
According to Segun, these operations are designed to ensure that any form of opposition is silenced or intimidated into submission.
The implications of these claims are deeply troubling, as they suggest a systematic effort by the government to stifle freedom of expression and political opposition through intimidation and violence.
These revelations paint a dark picture of a government willing to go to extreme lengths to maintain control and suppress dissent.
This shocking disclosure has prompted widespread outrage, particularly among human rights groups and political activists who have long criticized Ruto’s administration for its heavy-handed approach to governance.
The use of such units, if proven, would undoubtedly tarnish Ruto’s reputation as a leader committed to democratic principles and human rights.
The government has yet to respond to these serious allegations.
These findings, extracted from People’s Daily newspaper, shed light on the disturbing tactics allegedly employed by the Ruto administration to quash political opposition and spread fear among citizens.
The full extent of these operations remains unclear, but they serve as a grave reminder of the potential dangers of unchecked power and the erosion of civil liberties.
