Four Years Later, Mwenda Mbijiwe’s Family Moves to Court in Search for Truth About His Disappearance

The family of missing security expert Mwenda Mbijiwe, who vanished four years ago, has filed a petition in court demanding that the government either produce him dead or alive or release him without conditions.

Mbijiwe, a former Kenya Air Force officer and security consultant, disappeared in 2021 under mysterious circumstances. His car was later discovered abandoned near Nyeri.

In an urgent application filed at the Milimani High Court, Mbijiwe’s mother, Jane Gatwiri M’Ithinji, asked the court to compel the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and other relevant security agencies to immediately present her son before the court.

The application, which has been certified as extremely urgent, requests that the case be heard ex parte in the first instance. It also seeks orders requiring the state to produce Mbijiwe before the court – dead or alive – so that the matter can be handled according to the law. Alternatively, the family insists that he be released immediately and unconditionally, arguing that he is being held in unlawful and illegal custody.

In her sworn affidavit, Gatwiri recounts that her son was abducted on June 12, 2021, along Roysambu in Nairobi on his way to Meru County. She alleges that he was arrested by men who were believed to be security officers, dressed in civilian clothes and traveling in an unmarked vehicle.

The family alleges Mbijiwe had previously reported threats to his life prior to disappearing. His last public appearance was during a Muuga FM interview on June 10, 2021, where he discussed national security issues.

“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,” the family argues in the application.

They say that his continued disappearance violates his constitutional right to liberty, health, and freedom of movement, and would have the court issue an order instructing the state to disclose where he is.

The case will be mentioned today before the High Court in Nairobi for further directions.

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