Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama announced that missing Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi was found alive on Thursday, dumped in Sololo, Marsabit County.
This was 12 days after his abduction from Nairobi. He was dumped almost 700 kilometers away from Nairobi. The matter is under investigation. It is not clear if the second person who was taken alongside Abshir was also found.
Abshir went missing after being reportedly abducted by armed individuals along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, on November 1, 2026.
His lawyer Eric Theuri too confirmed the victim was alive and well but tortured.
“Advocate Abshir finally released from state torture chambers and dumped in Marsabit. Currently at Sololo Police Station. A government that treats its citizens as second-class citizens with no rights and treats them inhumanly has no moral authority to govern!!” he said in a post.
The LSK president said on Thursday that the Society will remain adamant until the lawyer is back home safe and sound.
He also intimated that they will not stop demanding the arrest of perpetrators behind the recent abductions.
“We remain unrelenting until Abshir and Ayub (colleague) are brought to court or we assure ourselves of their safety,” he said.
“Until accountability is given to those contravening the law. It should not only include abductors but those providing them with resources and instructions.”
He said that they are also awaiting the official confirmation from his family.
“We keep our fingers crossed and our hopes high,” Kanjama added.
He raised concern over the use of state machinery to conduct illegal disappearances of Kenyan citizens, arguing that the matter is eroding civility.
The lawyers, friends and the family of Abshir had been demanding answers from security agencies over his whereabouts.
For the second time on Tuesday, lawyers and family members visited the Supreme Court and Jogoo House, where they presented their grievances to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, seeking answers over Abshir’s disappearance.
Meanwhile, the High Court in Milimani cleared the way for a substantive hearing of a habeas corpus application seeking to establish the whereabouts of the missing lawyer.
Justice Alexander Muteti ruled that the application was ready for hearing, noting that the applicants had presented evidence warranting scrutiny of allegations against state security agents.
“The allegations in the affidavit of the applicant are damning and invite a greater degree of scrutiny of the conduct of the state agents in investigating the matter complained of by the subject in his letter to the DCI prior to his disappearance,” Justice Muteti said.
The judge’s decision came despite security officials maintaining last week that they had neither abducted Abdi nor held him in their custody.
Justice Muteti, however, observed that the state had the technical, technological and logistical capacity to resolve cases involving disappearances and complex criminal investigations.
“The state has at its disposal technical, technological and logistical capability to resolve issues of disappearances and complex criminal matters. Thus, in resolving a matter of this nature, the scales of justice must be evenly balanced. The state demonstrated that capability in R v Leliman, which involved the kidnapping and murder of advocate Willie Kimani,” he said.
The applicants, who are expected to testify on Wednesday, told the court they had obtained photographs and video footage allegedly showing officers involved in Abshir’s arrest in 2025. They believe the material could help unravel the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
The victim’s lawyer, Eric Theuri, said the footage could help identify individuals seen in the video allegedly abducting the advocate.
“We are satisfied to a certain degree that we could be able to identify one, if not two, of the persons who are seen in the later video abducting Abshir,” Theuri said.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which is the first interested party in the case, also indicated that it would seek the summoning of senior security officials to explain the recent cases of abductions and enforced disappearances in the country.
LSK President Charles Kanjama said the society intended to request the court to summon senior officials from the security establishment, including the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary, Inspector General of Police, Director of Criminal Investigations, Deputy Inspector General and the National Intelligence Service.
“We intend to request for the summoning of the senior officers in the state security establishment, starting with the CS, PS, IG, DCI boss, DIG, NIS,” Kanjama said.
The society’s Vice President, Teresia Wavinya, also raised concerns over delays in investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), particularly cases involving serious human rights violations.
“We are concerned by the reports of delay in advancing the investigative work of IPOA, arising from the technical committee of the IPOA board, particularly in the investigations and conclusion of cases involving serious human rights harm,” Wavinya said.
As the legal process continues, the prolonged disappearance has taken a toll on Abshir’s family, who are now appealing for intervention from the Head of State.
His brother, Zakaria Abshir, questioned where the family should turn to for answers about his missing sibling.
Abdi Hassan, a relative of Ayub, who was reportedly last seen with Abshir, also called on security agencies to produce the two men if they were in their custody.
“Our brother Ayub was last seen together with Abshir, so it is 99 per cent that he has been abducted together with Wakili. If they are in the hands of security agencies, please bring them,” he said.
In protest over the continued cases of enforced disappearances, lawyers have announced plans to down their tools and seek adjournments in courts across the country until Abshir is produced.
Police have officially denied knowledge of the incident amid investigations.
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