The family of Mr Mohamed Muktar, a 42-year-old businessman, is in agony after he was abducted last Saturday by men who identified themselves as police officers.
Mr Muktar, popularly known as Gabun, had just checked into Globe Care Hospital in Eastleigh, Nairobi, where he sought treatment for high blood pressure. His condition requires regular medication and occasional emergency care.
Before doctors could attend to him, armed men stormed the hospital, interrupted his treatment and bundled him into a double-cabin pickup. The vehicle sped off into the night, leaving staff and patients in shock.
The abduction only came to light when a hospital worker who hails from Wajir County, like Mr Muktar, alerted his family.
Mohamed Muktar, who was abducted in Eastleigh by men who introduced themselves as police officers.
Photo credit: Pool
Since then, relatives have combed police stations, hospitals and holding cells with no success.
“We are deeply worried about his health because he needs regular care and medication. The men said they were police officers, but no station has admitted to holding him. We are appealing for his immediate release, or at least disclosure of where he is being kept,” said family spokesperson Idris Bulle.
The family reported the incident at Pangani Police Station under Occurrence Book (OB) number 03/21/9/2025. But Mr Bulle says they have received little cooperation.
“Even details like where his phone was last switched off have not been shared with us. He cannot go two days without medication. If they deny him treatment, his condition could worsen,” he added.
The abduction has unsettled Eastleigh, one of Nairobi’s busiest commercial hubs and home to thousands of Somali traders.
Muktar’s disappearance fits into a troubling pattern. Human rights watchdogs, including HAKI Africa and Amnesty International, have documented numerous cases of enforced disappearances in Nairobi and the Coast over the past decade.
In Eastleigh alone, families recall sons, brothers, and neighbours picked up by men in plainclothes — sometimes later released without charge, other times vanishing without a trace.
In November 2023, madrassa teacher Adan Osman was abducted by men in a double-cabin pickup in an incident that CCTV cameras captured.
In October 2023, Shankara Adan Hassan, 39, was seized on her way to work at JKIA and later rescued in Meru County.
In October 2022, six juveniles were rescued in Eastleigh North, having been detained at Safari Hotel Lounge.
According to Missing Voices, a coalition monitoring police killings and disappearances, at least 100 Kenyans vanish annually in circumstances often linked to security agencies.
The Interior Ministry has consistently denied sanctioning such operations, insisting all arrests must follow the law. But residents say the silence of police fuels suspicion.
“If they had nothing to hide, they would say where he is,” said Abdirashid Mohamed, an Eastleigh elder. “We are not against the police doing their work. But when someone disappears without record, that is not justice. That is abduction.”
