Lawyer Willis Otieno Blasts State Plan to Reward Chiefs Freed from Al-Shabaab Captivity

Lawyer Willis Otieno has ridiculed the government’s plan to award state honors to chiefs who were abducted by Al-Shabaab in Northern Kenya, branding it a “tragic comedy.”

His sharp criticism followed Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen’s announcement that the chiefs, who spent two months in militant captivity before being released, would be feted with the prestigious Head of State Commendation. 

Murkomen defended the move, saying the administrators showed resilience under extreme conditions.

But Otieno was not impressed. Taking to X, the outspoken lawyer said the government had completely missed the point.

“If abduction is now a qualification for Head of State commendation, then Kenya has sunk into tragic comedy. Honor should be for those who prevent abductions, not those paraded as proof of our insecurity,” he wrote.

He went further, suggesting there was more to the chiefs’ release than the state was letting on. 

“If this ‘operation’ delivered more than expected, let Murkomen be honest enough to tell Kenyans what was actually negotiated,” Otieno added, raising eyebrows over possible backroom deals with the militants.

The chiefs’ kidnapping had triggered public anger and exposed glaring gaps in security along Kenya’s porous border with Somalia. 

While their safe return was welcomed, many fear that rewarding them could set a dangerous precedent, normalizing failure instead of demanding accountability.