Missing Kenyan MP found on coffee farm after alleged abduction
A Kenyan member of parliament who was reportedly abducted by unknown individuals after a church service on Sunday has been found on a coffee farm and is now receiving treatment in hospital, according to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
George Koimburi had been "badly beaten" and was in a "very serious condition" at the Karen Hospital in the capital Nairobi, Gachagua added, News.Az reports citing BBC.
A vocal critic of the government, Koimburi is allied with Gachagua, who was impeached by parliament and removed from office last year after falling-out with President William Ruto.
The alleged abduction has sparked outrage, with the opposition accusing the government of intimidation. It has not yet commented on the allegation.
Police said they were investigating the incident, local media reported.
A motorcycle rider who first found Koimburi early on Monday morning is said to have alerted other people and his family, the reports added added.
A widely shared video clip showed the MP lying on the ground, his clothes dishevelled and seemingly in pain.
On Sunday, Koimburi's wife told reporters that they were outside church, in his Juja constituency in central Kiambu county, when he was grabbed and bundled into a vehicle.
Koimburi was reportedly found at a coffee farm in the nearby Ruiru constituency, less than 10km (six miles) from where he had been allegedly abducted.
Speaking after visiting him in hospital, Gachagua accused the government of targeting legislators who took a "vocal stand against the government".
There has been a wave of abductions in Kenya since mass protests against tax hikes broke out last year. The government has previously denied involvement in the kidnappings.
Prominent opposition politician Kalonzo Musyoka said that opposition officials would meet on Tuesday to "assess the current state of political harassment and intimidation in the country by the Kenya Kwanza [governing] regime".
He raised concerns over how an MP, who was entitled to security by the police, could "get abducted in broad daylight".
"It means Kenyans are on their own," Musyoka added.
In February, Koimburi was arrested and charged with forging his academic qualifications. He denied the charge and was released on bail.
Police are reported to be also investigating him over allegations of land fraud and misuse of government funds. He denies any wrongdoing.
His alleged abduction came weeks after MP Charles Ong'ondo Were was shot dead in the streets of Nairobi by gunmen on a motorcycle.
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