There was fear on Monday after three parents arrived at the Isiolo Deputy County Commissioner’s office with their three sons, whom police had published their names and pictures asking for the public to aid in their arrest.
According to the police, the three are part of a group that had something to do with the attack on Dusit attack last week, or were planning to perpetrate another attack on Kenyan soil.
But distraught parents say their sons have been cooperating with police in totally different cases and don’t really understand why their names and images had to be splashed on social media.
Kenyan police have been on the limelight in recent times for killing suspects without proof and every parent will always be afraid when they see their kids published on the media.
So, are the Kenyan security forces targeting the wrong people and lying to us that they’re pursuing suspects who killed at least 21 people at the Dusit Hotel last week?
The Parents said they were shocked when they saw their children’s names in the media on Sunday night yet they had been willing to take them to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Anti-Terror Police Unit for interrogation.
Mr Abdi Bidu, father of Mr Bidu, explained that the three had attempted to cross over to Somalia in 2017 but were intercepted. He said their cases were ongoing but that they had been freed on bond.
The parents said the suspects are now boda boda operators in Isiolo town and that they reformed and were giving information to the government.
Mr Hussein Wario, Mr Bonaya’s brother, asked the government to assure them of the security of the three. He said his brother was arrested while watching a soccer match in a hall in Isiolo town three years ago. Mr Bonaya and the others have been reporting to the ATPU as directed, he added.
So why should the police move so fast to publish the names? We respect our men in uniform for the sacrifices they make for this country. But we must also criticize them for making the wrong calls.
And this one looks like one of the many wrong calls they have made. Why should you publish names of people you already know? It could be the police are just using side shows to mask their own mistakes.