The family of missing security expert Mwenda Mbijiwe, who vanished four years ago, has moved to the Milimani High Court seeking orders compelling the government to either produce him in court dead or alive or release him unconditionally.
In an urgent application filed by his mother, Jane Gatwiri M’Ithinji, the family wants the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and other security agencies directed to immediately and unconditionally present Mbijiwe before the court.
The application, which has been certified as extremely urgent, also seeks to have the matter heard ex parte in the first instance. The family insists that the government must disclose Mbijiwe’s whereabouts, arguing that his continued disappearance amounts to illegal and unconstitutional detention.
In her sworn affidavit, Gatwiri recounts that her son was abducted on June 12, 2021, around Roysambu in Nairobi, while traveling to Meru County. She claims he was whisked away by men believed to be security officers driving an unmarked vehicle.
She further states that prior to his disappearance, Mbijiwe had reported threats to his life. His last known public appearance was during an interview on Muuga FM on June 10, 2021, where he discussed national security matters.
“The said detention is illegal, irregular, and unlawful and cannot be justified in a democratic society that upholds the rule of law,” the application reads in part. The family argues that the state’s failure to account for his whereabouts violates his rights to liberty, health, and freedom of movement as guaranteed under the Constitution.
The case is set to be mentioned tomorrow before the High Court in Nairobi for further directions.
Mbijiwe, a former Kenya Air Force officer and security consultant, went missing in 2021 under mysterious circumstances, with his vehicle later found abandoned near Nyeri. His disappearance remains one of the country’s most enduring unresolved cases.
