Busia Senator and presidential candidate Okiya Omtatah has denied involvement in the suspected kidnapping of popular X satirist and cartoonist Kibet Bull.
Omtatah took to his X account to dispute a previous tweet published by political activist Francis Gaitho.In his tweet, Gaitho stated that Omtatah collaborated with ‘the regime’ to sell out young activists and aid in their arrest and/or abduction.
Omtatah expressed his dismay in response to Gaitho’s charges, noting that he had spent his entire life upholding justice and the rule of law and that the allegations were not only ”absurd” but also “deeply disturbing”.
Kibet’s relatives informed the media that he went missing while on a journey to investigate his brother’s disappearance.
According to Kibet’s family, his brother Rony Kiplangat has been missing since Saturday, when the family believed he had gone to church.
“We waited until evening and as we tried calling him, he could not be reached,” their sister Mercy Cherotich said in a phone interview.
“We thought he had gone for a church service at SDA Kikuyu. We sent his friend to check if he was in the house.
He said Kiplangat was not in the house.”Kibet then embarked on a trek from Njoro to Nairobi to follow up and attend an event alongside Omtatah.
“Kibet had been called for a function with Senator Okiya Omtata.
He left home on Tuesday and dropped his items at his friend’s home in Kikuyu,” Cherotich says.
The presidential candidate also asked Kenyans to avoid spreading lies, emphasizing his commitment to the rule of law and fairness for everyone.
“Let’s refrain from peddling falsehoods that only serve to distract us from the urgent task of protecting Kenyans from oppression,” he wrote.
“Let us remain united in the fight for the rule of law, good governance & justice and demand accountability where it truly belongs.”
“If he has been harmed, we must focus on finding the real perpetrators and holding them accountable, not distracting ourselves with conspiracy theories.”
Omtatah’s reaction appears to have been prompted by widespread claims that the prominent cartoonist, who rose to prominence after devoting his X efforts to disseminating critical silhouettes, had vanished.
Bull’s last activity on X occurred on December 24 at approximately 17:39 hours.
He released one of his silhouettes, which looks to depict Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s visage, as well as another silhouette, which has been widely translated to represent President William Ruto.
He captioned: “Kipchumba Mvrkomen alilaunch kazi yake na abducting watu.”She stated that after the ceremony, Kibet boarded a car to return to his friend’s home in Kikuyu.
“He did not get to Kikuyu. As of Tuesday at 9 PM, Kibet was not reachable on the phone. We wanted him to confirm if our other brother had returned home,” she says adding that they are yet to reach Kibet on the phone.
According to the family, Kibet avoided the city for fear of being arrested for criticizing President Ruto and his regime.
The family claims they reported Kiplangat’s disappearance to a police station and received an OB.
