Social media influencer Billy Simani, aka Crazy Nairobian has shared his terrifying experience of being abducted during the anti-Finance Bill protests. He is one of many protesters abducted by suspected statesmen. And the ordeal has taken a toll on him.
Billy Simani Abducted
Simani’s ordeal began on Friday, June 21, a day after he participated in the protests. He recalls the day vividly.
“We had just come from a successful Thursday Maandamano, so on Friday, June 21, I was still asleep throughout the day. I woke up constantly to tweet and go back to sleep. So at around 3 pm, I heard a knock on the door. When I opened the door, I saw four guys in balaclavas, and the fifth one was a lady,” he said.
The intruders confirmed his identity before forcefully entering his house. They took his laptop, Maandamano T-shirt, and phone.
“One of the men handcuffed and blindfolded me before demanding my phone password, which I declined to give,” Simani recounted.
They then took him to their car.
Frightening Car Ride
What followed was a two-hour car ride that Simani described as frightening.
“The next thing I know, I am being sandwiched at the back of a car. I think there was one guy on my right, the other one on my left. Then we drove around for like two hours. What I knew is that I was being taken out of Nairobi, and my story was over.”
Locked in Toilet
Upon reaching their destination, Simani overheard one of the men on the phone asking for directions.
As they arrived, he heard, “Remove that guy from the car so we can finish up with him and do other things.”
He was led downstairs into a cold room and told to lie on his stomach. “I later confirmed when they moved my hands to the front and lifted my blinds, I was in a toilet,” Simani said.
Interrogation and Release
Billy Simani was then handed over to a different group who pressured him for information about the protests’ financiers. He was warned to cooperate or face dire consequences.
“They pressed me to reveal who was financing the protests,” he added.
Following public uproar online over his abdiction, Simani was released a few minutes before midnight on Saturday, June 22.
A video shared by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo shows her with Simani after his release.
IMF Apologizes
Simani’s abduction happened during widespread protests and the withdrawal of Finance Bill 2024.
IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack extended apologies to those affected. “I extend the IMF’s deepest sympathies to people affected by recent events in Kenya. Our hearts go out to those who have suffered,” she said.
By Vivian K.