People Daily journalist Habil Onyango abducted after publishing exposé on job scam.
Police reports indicate that Habil Onyango was lured to a hotel in Homa Bay on September 14 before being ambushed by assailants allegedly linked to a senior county official. He was bundled into a vehicle, beaten, and subjected to humiliation.
The attackers forced him to inhale bhang and confiscated his phones. They went further to delete sensitive data and post a fake apology on his social media accounts.
Onyango was driven around for several hours before he managed to escape with the help of a boda boda rider. He later reported the incident at Homa Bay Police Station under OB number 25/14/25.
Medical reports confirmed he sustained soft-tissue injuries to his head, jaw, and ribs. Onyango declined further hospital treatment but vowed to continue with his investigative journalism.
The primary suspect in the case, Beatrice Mercy Akugo, Senior Human Resource Officer in Homa Bay County, has been interdicted to allow investigations.
The Media Council of Kenya (MCK), the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the attack, terming it a grave violation of press freedom.
Human rights organisations called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to carry out a thorough probe and prosecute those responsible.
