The High Court in Nairobi has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and the Director of Public Prosecutions to produce security analyst Mwenda Mbijiwe, who disappeared more than four years ago under mysterious circumstances.
Justice Martin Muya issued the directive on Tuesday, giving the two top officials seven days to present Mbijiwe in court—either alive or dead.
The ruling followed an urgent petition filed by his mother, Jane Gatwiri, seeking to compel the government to disclose her son’s whereabouts and secure his immediate release.
In her court filing, Gatwiri said her son was kidnapped on June 12, 2021, near Roysambu in Nairobi, while on his way to Meru County.
She recounted that unidentified men believed to be security officers intercepted him in an unmarked vehicle shortly after he had spoken publicly about receiving death threats.
Before his disappearance, Mbijiwe, a former Kenya Air Force officer and respected security consultant, had been active in national debates on security and governance.
His last known public engagement was on June 10, 2021, during an interview with Muuga FM, where he discussed national security issues.
Gatwiri told the court that her son’s disappearance amounts to an unlawful detention and a grave violation of his fundamental rights.
“The said detention is illegal, irregular and unlawful and cannot be justified in a democratic society that believes in the rule of law and constitutionalism,” she said in her affidavit.
She urged the court to intervene, saying the family has endured untold anguish and uncertainty for years. She argued that the state has a constitutional duty to protect its citizens and must therefore explain Mbijiwe’s fate.
In early 2022, Mbijiwe’s brother, Nicholas Bundi, walked from Meru County to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi in a symbolic protest, hoping to draw national attention to the family’s search for answers.
The case has been certified as extremely urgent and will initially be heard ex parte. Gatwiri’s application seeks an order directing that Mbijiwe be produced before the court or released from what she describes as illegal detention.
The matter will be mentioned on November 11, 2025, for further directions.
