The Somali-American community living in Seattle, Washington State has expressed dismay over the silence of the US government and media following the murder of businessman Bashir Mohamed .
In a post published on Somali Bridge, a US-based media outlet that focusses on Somali immigrants in America, those interviewed said the deceased lived in Seattle City with a community of friends, relatives and former colleagues who received the news of his death with shock and concern.
They claim the deceased worked at Boeing before moving to Kenya to establish a construction company that worked on various government projects, adding that it was hard for them to fathom that Mr Mohamed would later go on to die in Kenya and under such strange circumstances.
“I did not only lose Bashir as a friend but also a person who the whole community here thought was a good person,” said Salah Hussein, a Seattle resident.
“I have known him to be one of the most influential persons not only in Seattle but also in Ohio. We need justice.”
Omar Adan, Mr Mohamed's cousin, said the news of Bashir's death was hard to receive.
“It’s devastating, nobody expected it. We thought he had been arrested but when we called the family they did not know what was going on. When the car was reported to have been burnt we realised there was more to it than an arrest,” said Mr Omar.
Another Somali-American, Ahmed Dude, said he had come to know Bashir as a beautiful soul.
“We need to see what the American media can do for us because we need to follow the news from abroad. Why is CNN not talking about it? Why is local news not talking about it? why is are the newspapers quiet? We need to know that as the Somali-American community because he was part of us. We demand justice,” said Mr Dude.
Mr Mohamed disappeared on May 13 after leaving Mialle Lounge in Lavington only to be discovered dead and his body thrown into River Nyamindi in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.
A post-mortem revealed that he died from strangulation by hand, and that he was tortured by way of being hit with a blunt object, burning and his toe nails being ripped off his feet.
Before his body was found, his family's lawyers had written to the US Embassy in Nairobi seeking assistance in establishing his whereabouts and reasons for his detention, if indeed he had been in State custody.
In its response to the family, the US said it would make enquiries with Kenyan law enforcement but would not actively investigate the matter.
“Since Kenya is a sovereign country, Kenya law enforcement has jurisdiction on this case and is the law enforcement entity responsible for investigating. The role of the United States government is limited. The US Embassy will follow up with Kenyan law enforcement and update the family when there is information to share,” read part of the response.
When Nation.Africa contacted the US Embassy in Nairobi, it confirmed being aware of Mr Mohamed's disappearance, adding that the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State.
“When a US citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and share appropriate information with families...We stand ready to provide appropriate assistance to US citizens in need, and to their families. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.”
