Dead or alive: Who abducted Mwenda Mbijiwe?

For more than 1,400 days, Jane Gatwiri has carried a mother’s unbearable burden on the disappearance of her only son, Mwenda Mbijiwe, a former Kenya Air Force officer turned security analyst. 

Each day has been filled with anguish, unanswered questions, and relentless searches through government offices and police stations across the country that yielded nothing. 

Mbijiwe mysteriously went missing on June 12, 2021, more than four years ago, allegedly abducted by police officers while traveling along Thika road to his rural home in Meru County, leaving behind a trail of mystery and despair. 

On Wednesday, hope flickered after the Milimani High Court ordered top police chiefs: Inspector General Douglas Kanja and DCI head Mohammed Amin, to appear in person on December 16, to explain what exactly happened to Mbijiwe. 

For a mother who has spent over four years pleading with authorities, the firm’s order by Justice Martin Muya marked the first time the nation’s top law enforcement officials were being directly called to account over the matter. 

"I have considered the application made by both sides and therefore ordered the 2nd and 3rd respondents (IG and DCI) to appear in court physically on December 16, 2025 to explain the whereabouts of Mbijiwe,” Justice Muya ordered, sending a clear signal that the judiciary would no longer tolerate delay or inaction. 

Justice Muya directed the two officers to appear on December 16, 2025, at 11am, following repeated failures to comply with earlier court orders requiring the production of Mbijiwe, "dead or alive." 

Mbijiwe’s family, led by his mother, has long accused the State of dragging its feet on the investigation and lack of explanation on the investigations. 

Family lawyer Evans Ondieki told the judge that Mbijiwe, was arrested by police officers on Thika Road and since then, he has not been found or pronounced dead. 

“The reality is that Mwenda Mbijiwe was arrested by police officers. No confirmation, alive or dead, has ever been provided,” Ondieki said. 

He argued that continued inaction by police was tantamount to contempt of court and revealed a lack of seriousness in investigating the case. 

The court heard that a report submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) did not clarify whether Mbijiwe had been killed or was still in police custody. 

The DPP, through Zachary Omwenga, told the court that the office of the ODPP intends to forward the file to the magistrate court for purposes of opening an inquest to probe the mysterious disappearance of the security analyst. 

He said the investigation report from the DCI has failed to identify who was responsible for Mbijiwe’s abduction. 

The family insists that previous orders demanding the State to produce Mbijiwe have gone unheeded, leaving them in a state of endless uncertainty. 

Gatwiri spoke of her anguish, describing her four-year ordeal and detailing how she visited countless police stations and government offices searching for her son with no answers. 

“I have gone to every office, every police station, pleading for answers, but no one has given me a clear response. My son’s life hangs in uncertainty, and the state must provide clarity,” she told the court. 

Gatwiri told court that she believes that her son is held incommunicado by the state agents. 

Mbijiwe’s mother also accused several prominent individuals of orchestrating false allegations against her son before his disappearance. 

“If at all they killed my son, God in heaven is watching them. They are going to pay very soon,” she said. 

The emotional toll of the disappearance of Mbijiwe was also evident in the family’s legal team. 

Ondieki, distraught, broke down as he addressed journalists outside Milimani Law court after the court session. 

Ondieki questioned why authorities want to begin an inquest while offering no clarity on the circumstances surrounding Mbijiwe’s disappearance more than four years ago. 

“Even in a dictatorship people are given a chance. If you disagree with an individual and because he thinks he has a lot of money, money is not everything. Our life is the most important thing,” he said. 

He insisted that the right to life is paramount and asked the police to explain what they have been pursuing in the case. 

“They want to start an inquest. They cannot start an inquest unless they are aware he is not alive,” he said. 

“We want them to bring that police file and tell us who was the complainant, what they were investigating, and why it has taken them four years to come up with this theory that he is missing,” Ondieki said. 

He condemned greed and impunity, stressing that no amount of wealth should allow anyone to violate the law. 

“You can acquire the entirety of Kenya and cause so much pain to others, but what does it assist you with? Greed, hatred and power should not determine life and death. Every life matters. This mother deserves justice,” he added before tears overtook him. 

The court heard that vehicle he was using, reportedly a hired car, was later found vandalised and abandoned in a coffee plantation near Tatu City, Kiambu County and all attempts to trace him in the immediate aftermath have been inconclusive. 

His phone and other contact lines went offline immediately after disappearance; efforts to trace the car movement indicate it had been driven to areas around Thika / Kiambu before being abandoned. 

According to the family’s sworn application to court, Mbijiwe had previously reported threats to his life, linked to his work and political ambitions as he had declared interest in running for Meru County governor, raising suspicions of a politically motivated disappearance. 

His last known public appearance was on June 10, 2021, in a radio interview (on Muuga FM), where he spoke on national security matters. 

Over four years, the family has petitioned the courts, human rights organisations, and government offices, demanding answers. 

But with top police leadership now compelled to appear in court, in person; his family clings to hope that the painful silence may soon end. 

Utility 

In October 2025, after more than four years with no trace, Mbijiwe’s family filed an urgent application at the Milimani High Court demanding that the State produce him, “dead or alive”, or release him unconditionally. 

On October 28, 2025, the Court ordered the National Police Service (through its head) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to produce Mbijiwe within a short timeframe. 

When police failed to comply, on subsequent mention on November 19, 2025, the family’s counsel Ondieki asked the court to issue arrest warrants against the police bosses for failure to comply and alleged incommunicado detention. 

“The right to life is not negotiable. Investigators must explain why it has taken four years without answers,” Ondieki said. 

Instead of issuing warrants, the Court declined, giving the police a final adjournment and ordering the police IG to file a detailed report on the investigation.