A man who had been recovering bodies from River Yala was on Wednesday, February 2 reportedly arrested and briefly detained before being released.
In an update on Twitter, HAKI Africa alleged that Okero Okite was summoned by the police in Yala on the pretext of being offered a job by the state.
On arrival at the station, the human rights organization noted that Okite was detained and his phone confiscated.
HAKI Africa also claimed that the 58-year-old diver was threatened.
"HAKI Africa learnt that Okero Okite was summoned by the police in Yala in the pretext of being offered a job by the state for his good work. However, on reaching the station, he was detained and threatened. His phone was also confiscated HAKI Africa intervened and he was released.
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"While he is safe for now let it be known that HAKI Africa will hold the DCI responsible should anything happen to Okero Okite we demand that he immediately be given protection and that Kenyans speak out against this intimidation," HAKI Africa said in a statement.
Okite confirmed the same while addressing the press stating that he was summoned by an officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Yala.
"Upon arriving at the DCI office in Yala, I was detained and my phone confiscated. I was detained from 8:00 am up to 4:30 pm," he said.
Okite claimed that he had retrieved over 31 bodies in the past six months, claiming that some bodies are stuffed in sacks and sewn before they are dumped into the river.
HAKI Africa Director Khalid Hussein and activist Boniface Mwangi led a team of human rights activists in a visit to the area challenging the government to take responsibility and assure members of the public of their security.
