By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Former Kenyan Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju has been arrested a day after
he was reported missing, raising earlier suspicions that he may have been
kidnapped.
However, Kenya’s Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin,
told a press conference that Tuju had been inside his residence the entire time,
describing the incident as a “carefully staged disappearance rather than a genuine case of abduction.”
Police Describe Disappearance As Staged
Authorities said the former minister’s actions appeared to be an attempt to
mislead the public and generate sympathy amid his ongoing legal troubles.
“The deliberate conduct by Raphael Tuju appears to be a calculated effort to
deceive the public to generate unwarranted sympathy and to undermine the
integrity of the National Police Service,” Amin said.
He added that the police consider the provision of false information to authorities
a very serious offence.
Tuju Claims He Was Being Followed
Shortly before his arrest, Tuju told local broadcaster Citizen TV that he had
gone into hiding after noticing he was being followed by an unmarked vehicle.
According to him, he diverted onto a different road to make it more difficult
for the vehicle to continue tracking him.
After shaking off the suspected pursuers, Tuju said he deliberately abandoned
his car because he believed it was the vehicle they were searching for.
“My family is very traumatised… and I consider myself blessed because there
are many Kenyans in unmarked graves,” he said while thanking Kenyans and
opposition politicians who had supported him.
He also referenced past cases of abductions and killings in Kenya, saying
that was why he did not initially seek help from the police and instead chose
to go into hiding.
Police Earlier Launched Search
Before Tuju resurfaced, police had launched an investigation into his reported
disappearance and appealed to the public for information about his whereabouts.
His family had earlier said the former minister and his driver had gone missing
while travelling to an evening radio interview on Saturday.
Authorities later discovered his vehicle abandoned with its hazard lights
switched on along a road in Karen, an affluent suburb of the capital,
Nairobi. His mobile phone was also switched off at the time.
Legal Battle Over Nairobi Properties
Tuju is currently involved in a long-running legal dispute over the
auction and takeover of several properties in Nairobi linked to an
unpaid bank loan.
The court case involves lenders seeking to recover debts of more than
$15 million (£11 million) connected to properties owned by his company,
Dari Limited.
The former minister has filed multiple legal challenges in an attempt to
stop the auction of the properties and recently secured temporary court
orders preventing their transfer until his latest application is heard.
Tuju recently alleged that dozens of police officers had raided his
property in Karen, removed his staff and security personnel, and taken
control of the business premises.
He claimed that powerful officials were behind attempts to seize his
assets, though the government has not publicly responded to those
allegations.
