More than four years of agonizing silence for the family of Mwenda Mbijiwe may hinge on a dramatic court order. The High Court has now summoned Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and DCI Director Mohamed Amin to personally appear on December 16, 2025, and finally explain the whereabouts of the prominent security analyst who disappeared without a trace on June 12, 2021.

This unprecedented summons forces a public reckoning over a case that has grown cold, fueling fears of state-sanctioned disappearance and eroding public trust. For Mbijiwe's family, particularly his mother Jane Gatwiri, the order is a critical turning point in a relentless quest for truth that has led them through countless government offices, only to be met with silence and inconclusive reports.

A Disappearance Shrouded in Mystery

Mbijiwe, a former Kenya Air Force officer and well-regarded security consultant, was last heard from while driving from Nairobi to his rural home in Meru. He had called his mother to say he was on his way and asked her to prepare his favourite meal. He never arrived. The vehicle he had hired was later found abandoned near a coffee plantation in Kiambu, its doors vandalized.

The family has consistently maintained that Mbijiwe was abducted by security officers in plainclothes driving an unmarked vehicle near Roysambu. His mother, Jane Gatwiri, stated in an affidavit that her son had previously reported receiving threats to his life, and she believes he is being held incommunicado by the state. This belief is central to the family's court petition, which demands the government produce him, dead or alive.

A Stalled Investigation and Troubling Questions

The investigation into Mbijiwe's disappearance has been marked by a frustrating lack of progress. An investigation report forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) failed to identify any suspects or clearly state what happened to him. This has led the family's lawyer, Evans Ondieki, to accuse state agencies of deliberately withholding crucial information. The ODPP's recent suggestion to open a formal inquest has been met with emotional resistance from the family, who see it as a tacit admission that Mbijiwe is presumed dead without a proper investigation into his disappearance.

Adding another layer of complexity, it was revealed that Mbijiwe disappeared alongside Mathew Muhatia Namasaka, a man with a history of criminal charges, including robbery with violence. While this complicated the initial narrative, it has not led to any breakthroughs in the case.

The Human Cost of a Lingering Case

The four-year ordeal has inflicted a heavy emotional and psychological toll on Mbijiwe's family. His mother has become a fixture in the corridors of justice, a symbol of the anguish faced by families of the disappeared. Her emotional testimony in court, where she recounted her son's fears and her belief that he is still alive, has highlighted the profound human cost of this unresolved mystery. The family's fight raises critical questions for every Kenyan about state accountability and the justice system's capacity to protect its citizens.

As the nation awaits the December 16th court appearance of its top security officials, the case of Mwenda Mbijiwe has become more than a search for one man. It is a test of the state's commitment to transparency and a family's unwavering hope for closure. As lawyer Evans Ondieki emotionally stated outside the courthouse, “Every life counts. I want this mother to get her justice.”