Omtatah denies aiding the abduction of online satirist Kibet Bull
Okiya Omtatah rubbishes links to the abduction of cartoonist Kibet Bull
Okiya Omtatah rubbishes links to the abduction of cartoonist Kibet Bull
Busia Senator and presidential hopeful Okiya Omtatah has denied claims that he played a role in the alleged abduction of popular X satirist and cartoonist Kibet Bull.
While taking to his X account, Omtatah dismissed a previous tweet shared by political activist Francis Gaitho who had, in his tweet, claimed that Omtatah was working with ‘the regime’ to sell out young activists and aid in their arrest and/or abduction.
Gaitho said: @OkiyaOmtatah is now selling out young activists to the regime. I warned you to take care of these sell-outs. They’re all over.”
Reacting to Gaitho’s allegations, Omtatah expressed his dismay, stating that he had dedicated his whole life standing up for justice and the rule of law while also adding that the insinuations were not only ”absurd” but also “deeply disturbing”.
He wrote: “These allegations are false, baseless, and frankly, quite imaginative. It seems I’ve suddenly been cast as the villain in someone’s fiction. I met @Kibet_bull in good faith, as I do with many Kenyans in my daily encounters.”
“If he has been harmed, we must focus on finding the real perpetrators and holding them accountable, not distracting ourselves with conspiracy theories.”
The presidential hopeful also urged Kenyans to refrain from peddling falsehoods, stressing his dedication to the rule of law and justice for all.
“Let’s refrain from peddling falsehoods that only serve to distract us from the urgent task of protecting Kenyans from oppression. Let us remain united in the fight for rule of law, good governance & justice and demand accountability where it truly belongs,” he wrote.
Omtatah’s response appears to have been spurred by widespread reports that the popular cartoonist, who shot to fame after dedicating his X activities to sharing critical silhouettes, had gone missing.
Bull’s last activity on X was on December 24 at around 17:39 hours. He had shared one of his silhouettes which featured what appears to depict Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s face and alongside it, a silhouette which has been widely translated to depict President William Ruto.
He captioned: “Kipchumba Mvrkomen alilaunch kazi yake na abducting watu.”
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Kibet’s family has told Citizen Digital that Kibet went missing while he was on a mission to follow up on his brother’s disappearance.
According to Kibet’s family, his brother Rony Kiplangat has been missing since Saturday as the family thought he had gone to church.
“We waited until evening and as we tried calling him, he could not be reached. 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,” their sister Mercy Cherotich said in a phone interview.
Kibet then set out on a journey from Njoro to Nairobi to follow up and was also to attend a function with 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.
She added that after the function ended, Kibet boarded a vehicle back to his friend’s home in Kikuyu.
“He did not get to Kikuyu. As of Tuesday 9PM, Kibet was not reachable on phone. We wanted him to confirm if our other brother had returned home,” she says adding that they are yet to reach Kibet on phone.
The family says that Kibet had been avoiding the city for fear he could be held for criticising President Ruto and his government.
The family says they reported Kiplangat’s disappearance at a police station and were given an OB.
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