Human rights activist Khelef Khalifa detained by police

By Peter Ochieng

Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI) board member Khelef Khalifa is in police custody.

The human rights defender is being detained at Malindi Police Station, in Kilifi County after reportedly being arrested alongside some members of his family.

According to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Khalifa is being detained unlawfully. He was allegedly arrested by masked police officers, despite a recent court ruling out-lawing use of masks by police officers to obscure their identity.

“Police have detained Muslim for Human Rights Board member Khelef Khalifa and his family in Mida, near Malindi. Khalifa challenged the officers for hiding their faces when they stopped his car,” said the Commission in a statement.

KCHR demanded his immediate release. “Khalifa was simply upholding the law, and now his freedom is being threatened. We demand the immediate release of Khalifa and his family. The police must release them immediately.”

Former Chief Justice Willy Munyoki Mutunga is among human rights defenders who have condemned Khalifa’s arrests.

“Why are they arresting the family? The police are now arresting activists in the presence of their families to intimidate them as well,” said Mutunga.

“Where are we headed as a country surely? These abductions or what they call arrests are becoming too much. Why detain his family? If it is him the government wants then arrest him alone not his family,” noted an X user by name Wambui Mugo.

“It's the high time to review how our police officers operate in Kenya. It can't be business as usual for police officers operating the way they think, threatening people and even killing Kenyans and walking free in the name of being a police officer. It must stop,” added Mutava.

Kinyua Muriithi said, “Ruto and his government do not appreciate how damaging injustice is. Release Khelef. You can't teach him anything that Moi and Kanyotu failed to do.”

The National Police Service (NPS) had not issued a statement over his arrest, by the time of going to press.