The High Court has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohamed Amin and other security officials to produce missing Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi before the court, either alive or dead, as pressure mounts over his disappearance.
Justice Alexander Muteti, sitting in the Criminal Division, issued the directive on Wednesday after certifying an urgent application filed by Abdi’s family.
The judge ordered the respondents to present the advocate before the court at 2:30pm and directed Kanja and Amin to appear personally or through their appointed legal representatives.
They are also required to produce any arrest warrant or detention order authorising Abdi’s arrest and explain why he should not be released immediately if he is being held in custody.
The dramatic court intervention follows days of uncertainty over the whereabouts of the advocate, who was allegedly abducted by armed men along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, in Nairobi.
According to Radio 47, the court directed the security agencies to produce Abdi’s body before the court, whether alive or dead, underscoring the urgency of establishing what happened to him.
Family seeks answers over alleged abduction
Abdi, an advocate practising at Abshir & Njagi Advocates in Kilimani, was reportedly seized by unidentified armed individuals in the early hours of November 1, 2026.
According to court documents, the individuals were dressed in tactical military-style clothing, wore bulletproof vests and carried firearms.
The incident allegedly occurred along Muchai Road, where Abdi’s white Toyota Premio, registration number KDL 356C, was later discovered abandoned.
His brother, Zakaria Abshir, says members of the public informed investigators that the lawyer’s vehicle had been pursued by two vehicles, a black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado TX and a black double-cabin pickup.
The witnesses reportedly told investigators that the pursuit ended when Abdi’s vehicle veered into a ditch before armed individuals allegedly pulled him out and forced him into the Land Cruiser.
His mobile phones have remained switched off, leaving his family without information about his whereabouts.
The disappearance was reported at Kilimani Police Station under Occurrence Book number 55/1/11/2026.
The vehicle was subsequently recovered and taken to the police station.
Family links disappearance to ongoing criminal case
The application raises concerns about a possible connection between Abdi’s disappearance and an ongoing criminal matter at the Makadara Law Courts.
According to the family, the advocate was representing a complainant in criminal case number MCCR/E2910/2025, Republic versus Ahmed Ali Mohamed.
Court documents indicate that Abdi had previously raised concerns about alleged intimidation and interference with witnesses involved in the proceedings.
His family claims that he and the complainant had received threats allegedly linked to individuals from security agencies, warning them against continuing with the criminal case.
The family suspects that the alleged abduction could be connected to the proceedings, although no established evidence has yet confirmed the motive or identified those responsible.
The court has therefore been asked to establish whether Abdi is being held by any state security agency and, if so, under what legal authority.
Previous arrest raises further questions
The court application also recounts an earlier incident involving Abdi in October 2025.
According to his brother’s affidavit, the lawyer was arrested on October 9, 2025, by individuals allegedly drawn from the Counter Terrorism Bureau, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Directorate of Military Intelligence.
He was subsequently released unconditionally after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions reportedly declined to approve an application seeking custodial orders.
The family says a complaint concerning the earlier incident was subsequently lodged with relevant government offices and oversight agencies.
These previous events have added another dimension to the family’s concerns about the circumstances surrounding his latest disappearance.
However, the allegations remain subject to investigation and have not established the involvement of any particular security agency in the reported incident.
DCI denies police involvement
The court intervention comes after DCI Director Mohamed Amin publicly denied claims that police officers were involved in Abdi’s disappearance.
Speaking on Tuesday, November 3, Amin confirmed that the National Police Service had received a report concerning the missing advocate and that investigators had been assigned to establish what happened.
He maintained that police officers were not involved in the alleged abduction.
Amin also appealed to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to share any information that could assist investigations.
He said the DCI was committed to investigating the matter and maintained that police arrests were governed by the Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code and National Police Service Standing Orders.
He further stated that the DCI’s records were accessible to oversight institutions, including the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
The DCI’s position places renewed attention on the need for an independent and transparent investigation into the lawyer’s disappearance.
Family wants CCTV footage and phone records preserved
Beyond demanding Abdi’s immediate production, the family is seeking orders compelling security agencies to preserve and produce crucial evidence that could help establish what happened along Muchai Road.
The requested records include:
- CCTV footage covering Muchai Road and surrounding areas.
- Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) records.
- Mobile phone and network communication data.
- Vehicle tracking information.
- Toll records and relevant border movement information.
The family argues that the information could help investigators reconstruct the events surrounding the disappearance, identify the vehicles involved and establish the movements of those responsible.
It has also sought independent investigations by oversight institutions, including IPOA and the Intelligence Service Complaints Board, with a request that findings be submitted to the court within 14 days.
The preservation of electronic evidence is particularly important because CCTV footage and other digital records could provide crucial leads in identifying the individuals involved.
Legal fraternity watches developments
Abdi’s disappearance has raised concern within Kenya’s legal profession, particularly because of the allegations of previous intimidation linked to his work in an ongoing criminal matter.
The case also places the conduct of security agencies under scrutiny, with the court’s intervention seeking answers about whether the lawyer is in lawful custody or has been taken by unidentified individuals.
The Law Society of Kenya is among the institutions whose cooperation has been sought in efforts to establish his whereabouts.
