Powerful Individuals Behind Mwenda Mbijiwe’s Disappearance, Court Told as Judge Summons IG and DCI Boss

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of security analyst Mwenda Mbijiwe resurfaced dramatically on Wednesday after the High Court summoned the Inspector General of Police and the Director of Criminal Investigations to personally account for his whereabouts, four years after he vanished without a trace.

Justice Martin Muya issued the summons during a tense session at the Milimani Law Courts, directing the two top security chiefs to appear before him on December 16 at 11:00 am.

The judge said the time for vague explanations and incomplete investigations was over.

“I have considered the application made by both sides and therefore order the 2nd and 3rd respondents to appear in court physically on December 16 to explain the whereabouts of Mbijiwe,” Justice Muya ruled.

The order came after a charged submission by family lawyer Evans Ondieki, who accused the State of deliberately withholding crucial information about the former military officer last seen in June 2021.

Ondieki told the court that Mbijiwe was arrested along Roysambu Road by police officers, after which he disappeared in what the family believes was an enforced disappearance.

He noted that no meaningful update has ever been issued, no suspects identified, and no explanation offered as to whether Mbijiwe is alive or dead.

“Four years later, no explanation has been given regarding the purported investigations,” Ondieki said. “The DCI and the ODPP have not clarified his status. It appears someone wants this file buried.”

Court documents reveal that an earlier DCI report forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions did not identify who abducted Mbijiwe or shed light on the circumstances of his disappearance. The family insists that key information has been intentionally concealed.

In what drew gasps from the courtroom, submissions indicated that “powerful leaders” in the country are suspected of being involved in the disappearance.

The court was told that Mbijiwe had expressed interest in contesting for the Meru gubernatorial seat shortly before he vanished — a move his family believes attracted political hostility from influential figures.

Outside the courtroom, emotions spilled over. A visibly shaken Ondieki broke down in front of journalists as he accused authorities of attempting to initiate an inquest without first telling the family what happened to Mbijiwe.

Lawyer Evans Ondieki broke down while addressing journalists at Milimani Law Courts on December 3, 2025/SCREENGRAB

“They want to start an inquest. They cannot start an inquest unless they are aware he is not alive,” he said. “Every life counts. Wealth, influence, and power should not be used to bend the law. This mother deserves justice.”

Mbijiwe’s mother, Jane Gatwiri, who has been pleading for answers for four agonising years, accused several high-profile individuals of fabricating allegations against her son shortly before he disappeared.

“I want to address DCI Kenyatta, the former governor of Meru and other prominent people who sat down and created false allegations upon my son,” she said. “If at all they killed my son, God in heaven is watching them. They will pay. But I still believe my son is alive.”

Gatwiri told the court through her affidavit that she has spent years moving from one government office to another, only to be met with silence.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, through counsel Zachary Omwenga, told the judge that the ODPP planned to forward the investigation file to a magistrate to initiate a formal inquiry. He confirmed that the DCI report had failed to name any suspects.

The family, however, strongly rejected the proposal for an inquest, insisting it is a tactic to declare Mbijiwe dead without ever investigating those who may have orchestrated his disappearance.

As the December 16 date approaches, pressure is mounting on the country’s top security officials to finally break the silence on a case that has become one of Kenya’s most unsettling unresolved disappearances.

For Mbijiwe’s family, the question remains unchanged after four long years:

Where is Mwenda Mbijiwe — and who is protecting those who made him vanish?