Where is Abshir Abdi? Court says only police hold the answer
What you need to know:
- Lawyer Abshir Abdi was allegedly abducted nine days ago.
- A missing person report was filed at Kilimani Police Station.
The High Court has ruled that only the police can explain the whereabouts of lawyer Abshir Abdi, who was allegedly abducted nine days ago.
Justice Alexander Muteti said evidence presented before the court showed Abdi had previously been in the constructive custody of police, making law enforcement agencies central to efforts to establish what happened to him.
The judge ruled that the family had established sufficient grounds to summon Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohammed Amin to explain Abdi's disappearance.
"The petitioner has established a good case to summon the IG and DCI to explain the whereabouts of Abdi, given that he had become a person of interest and was twice presented before court," Justice Muteti ruled.
Abdi had previously been arrested and presented before the Kahawa Law Courts on October 13 and October 24, 2025, as investigators sought orders to detain him while probing allegations linking him to extortion, abductions and malicious prosecutions.
The court directed that the habeas corpus application seeking to compel authorities to produce Abdi, dead or alive, proceed to a full hearing on November 11, 2026. Parties were ordered to file their evidence by 2pm on Wednesday.
The ruling came as the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) asked the court to summon senior security officials, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga and National Intelligence Service Director-General Noordin Haji.
LSK President Charles Kanjama told the court that the officials should explain the growing number of alleged enforced disappearances in the country.
Lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi who has been reported missing.
"This year alone, 22 cases of enforced disappearance have been reported. These persons have disappeared without a trace," Kanjama said.
Kanjama, alongside lawyers Eric Theuri, Ian Mutiso, Abner Mango, Alvin Attalo and Levi Munyeri, argued that the alleged abductions had reached alarming levels.
Theuri said Abdi's family was looking to the court for intervention and noted that videos and photographs taken during Abdi's arrest in October 2025 would be produced as evidence.
He said the recordings could assist in identifying those responsible for the lawyer's disappearance.
The court also heard claims that rogue elements within the security services could be involved.
Justice Muteti allowed applications by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the Muslim Lawyers Association and the Mount Kenya Jurists Association to join the case as interested parties.
Police allegations
Court filings show police consider Abdi a person of interest in investigations into an alleged criminal network involved in extortion, abductions and malicious prosecutions.
Chief Inspector Vitalis Kimutai of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit told the court that investigations linked Abdi to an extortion syndicate in which individuals who failed to meet monetary demands were allegedly arrested and detained at various police stations.
Justice Alexander Muteti at the Milimani High Court on May 21, 2026.
Seeking clarification, Justice Muteti asked whether police were alleging that people who refused to pay were arrested and charged on trumped-up cases.
Kimutai responded that investigations had established such claims and said Abdi had previously been arrested and presented before the Kahawa Law Courts.
Disappearance
According to court documents, Abdi was last seen at about 4am on November 1 when armed men dressed in tactical gear allegedly forced him into a black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado TX.
His white Toyota Premio, registration number KDL 356C, was later recovered abandoned along Muchai Road and taken to Kilimani Police Station.
In an affidavit, Zakaria Abdi said witnesses told investigators they saw Abdi's vehicle being pursued by a black Prado TX and a black double-cab pickup before it veered into a ditch.
The witnesses reportedly told investigators they saw armed men remove Abdi from the vehicle and force him into the Prado.
The family says his mobile phones have remained switched off since the incident and his whereabouts remain unknown.
A missing person report was filed at Kilimani Police Station under OB No. 55/1/11/2026.
The application before court also raises concerns about possible links between the disappearance and an ongoing criminal case at the Makadara Law Courts, where Abdi is a witness.
According to his brother, the lawyer had previously received threats allegedly from officers linked to the National Intelligence Service, the DCI, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau and the Kenya Defence Forces, warning him to withdraw from the case or risk abduction and death.
The family is seeking orders compelling security agencies to produce Abdi before court and explain his whereabouts.
Follow ourWhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
