Kenya, May 26 -- Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says that George Koimburi, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Juja, was tortured by people who captured him before they left him in another place.
Koimburi was taken outside a church in Mugutha, Kiambu County, on Sunday. He was found at a coffee plantation in Kiambu on Monday.
At a press event in Nairobi, after visiting Koimburi in the hospital, Gachagua said the MP had injuries because he had been beaten badly.
"It is not clear where they took him, but after searching for a long time, he was found in a coffee plantation looking hurt. He was taken to the hospital, and doctors said that Koimburi was tortured by experts. He has serious injuries," Gachagua told the reporters.
He also mentioned that Koimburi has lost his voice because of a dangerous chemical that his captors made him breathe in.
"He has lost his voice, and some chemical was given to him to inhale; doctors say this chemical has harmed his vocal cords," Gachagua said.
"Doctors are testing samples in different labs and doing everything they can to make sure he is safe."
Gachagua, who lost his job last October after disagreements with President William Ruto, accused "undercover agents" of working for the government to silence politicians who oppose them.
"We have proof that the government has created a group to deal with leaders who are against this regime," he told the press.
Video footage from Sunday showed Koimburi being taken away in a silver Subaru Forester car with normal registration plates after he was captured.
His wife, Ann Koimburi, was also hurt during the struggle.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) denied being involved in the kidnapping but confirmed that they had been looking for Koimburi since Friday because of alleged land fraud and misuse of Constituency Development Funds (CDF).
Mrs Koimburi said that the authorities took her husband's phone and vehicle during investigations but did not explain where he was.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.