On July 5, 2026, Mohamed Osman Shale walked into Bula Mzuri Primary School in Garissa town posing as a concerned relative eager to check on his two nephews' academic progress.
He approached the headteacher, Abdiaziz Roble and introduced himself as the boys' uncle. He asked to see the two grade three pupils aged 15 and 13, both Grade Three pupils.
The two brothers lived with their grandmother, Rukiya Hassan Ijailb, alias Dayanaba, in Garissa town.
Detectives privy to the investigations say he had travelled to Garissa from Mombasa three days earlier and stayed at his mother's home, claiming he was recovering from dengue fever.
On the fourth day, he went to the school.
With the headteacher's permission, Mohamed left with the two boys after telling school administrators he wanted to buy them learning materials from a bookshop before travelling.
Investigators believe Mohamed headed straight towards the Kenya-Somalia border before crossing into Somalia through an unidentified route with the children.
Two days later, when classes resumed, no one immediately noticed that the two brothers had not returned to school while at home, concern grew after neither the boys nor their uncle came back that evening.
On July 8, another uncle, Hared Osman Shale, reported the boys missing at Garissa Police Station.
He told detectives he suspected his brother Mohamed, who had recently arrived from Mombasa, was behind their disappearance.
Police immediately tracked Mohamed's mobile phone, whose signal was traced to Dhobley in southern Somalia.
It was then that both the family and security agencies realised the two boys had been taken out of Kenya.
“Their father is a suspected Al-Shabaab fighter based in Somalia. We suspect he instructed Mohamed to collect the boys and take them to him,” a security source said.
Security records show that the man crossed into Somalia in 2018, where he joined the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group.
Al-Shabaab fighters.
Photo credit: File | AFP
Originally from Tumtish village in Hulugho Sub-county, he is also a prime suspect in the January 26, 2026 terrorist attack in Hulugho.
During that attack, Boma Location Chief Abdifatah Mohamud and Hulugho Primary School teacher Stephen Vundi Musili were killed.
Hulugho, which lies near the Kenya-Somalia border, has repeatedly come under attack from Al-Shabaab militants, who exploit porous border crossings with the help of local sympathisers, according to security agencies.
Investigators say Mohamed knew exactly what he was doing when he arrived at Bula Mzuri Primary School.
“He had the correct names of the boys, knew which grades they were in and convinced the headteacher he was taking them to buy books,” the security source said.
It was only after the family called the school asking whether the boys had returned that the headteacher realised Mohamed had never intended to bring them back.
Detectives later raided Mohamed's rented house in Mishomoroni, Mombasa, but found it deserted.
“There was nothing in the house. Neighbours did not know where he had gone although some described him as a hawker,” the security source said.
Security agencies are now working to trace the boys and explore possible avenues of bringing them back from Somalia before they are absorbed into the militant group's network.
On Monday, Garissa County Police commander Samsom Chelugo confirmed the developments.
“ We are aware of the incident and it's under investigation by our Anti-Terror Police Unit," Mr Chelugo said.
