On July 23, at approximately 10 am, police arrested human rights defender Boniface Ogutu in Kisumu when he protested the bad governance that has weakened the country.
Ogutu, the convener of the Kisumu Peace and Justice Center, was initially taken to Kondele police station, where the officer in charge refused to detain him.
Around noon, four DCI officers in an unmarked green Subaru picked up Ogutu and transported him to Vihiga police station, about 24 kilometers from Kisumu.
The officers covered his head and began torturing him, recording the abuse on their phones. They punched and strangled Ogutu, pierced his index finger, hit his head multiple times, and struck his nose, causing him to bleed and suffer soft tissue injuries.
The officers demanded Ogutu reveal his phone password and cease mobilizing for peaceful protests, appearing to follow orders to suppress anti-government demonstrations.
At 7 pm, Ogutu was taken to Mbale hospital at the behest of the Vihiga OCS and discharged at 9 pm.
Attempts to return him to the Vihiga police station failed, so the DCI officers took him to the Railways police station in Kisumu, where he remained overnight without medical attention.
On July 24, the DCI officers brought Ogutu to court, charging him with obstruction. Magistrate Millicent Nyigei ordered that he be taken to the hospital before any plea was entered. Ogutu was admitted to Kisumu sub-county hospital.
Today, Ogutu faces fabricated charges of obstruction for simply advocating for good governance in Kenya. KHRC demands that all charges against Ogutu be dropped and that he be released unconditionally.
Ogutu must receive proper healthcare at the state's expense.
The four DCI officers who tortured him must be held accountable.
The right to protest is constitutionally protected and must not be suppressed.
Ogutu reported that the DCI officers snooped on his phone and swapped his SIM cards, suspecting ongoing surveillance by the regime. KHRC demands an end to all state surveillance, both digital and offline.