Amnesty International Kenya has condemned the abduction of Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi, saying the incident brings the number of documented enforced disappearances in the country to 22 this year.
The human rights organisation has demanded Abdi’s immediate and unconditional release, urging security agencies to establish his whereabouts and arrest those responsible.
Abdi was reportedly seized by armed individuals along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, at approximately 4:43am on November 1, 2026.
In a statement, Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director George Morara said CCTV footage showed armed individuals pursuing the lawyer before forcibly taking him away.
The organisation expressed concern over the apparent use of police-grade firearms and tactical equipment by the abductors, raising questions about possible involvement of security personnel.
Amnesty further revealed that Abdi had reportedly been handling a case at the Makadara Law Courts in which he had raised complaints against police and intelligence officers.
“Any attempt to intimidate, abduct or subject a lawyer to violence because of their professional work constitutes a grave attack on the administration of justice, the rule of law and the independence of legal practitioners,” Morara said.
The organisation called on the National Police Service (NPS) to clarify whether its officers or other security agencies were involved in the incident.
The latest case adds to a series of reported disappearances involving activists, journalists and other individuals in the country.
Among the cases cited by Amnesty is the October 2026 abduction of Tanzanian national Twaha Mwaipaya and the September disappearance of Standard Media Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich.
It also cited the June 25, 2026 abduction of six activists — Boniface Mulinge Muteti, Elisha Ochieng Alam, Collins Otieno, Fredrick Odhiambo Ojiro, Christine Alubengo and Michael Ngige — during protests marking the anniversary of the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
Although Kiprotich and the six activists were subsequently found, Amnesty said the activists were abandoned with severe torture injuries.
The organisation noted that the circumstances surrounding the incidents, as well as the progress and outcomes of investigations, remained unresolved public concerns.
According to the Missing Voices Coalition, 22 incidents of enforced disappearance have been documented in Kenya in 2026.
Amnesty warned that failure to hold perpetrators accountable risked emboldening those behind the disappearances while undermining public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
The organisation urged the National Police Service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and other security agencies to immediately establish Abdi’s whereabouts and secure his release.
If he is being held in lawful custody, Amnesty demanded that he be produced before a competent court without further delay and in compliance with existing High Court orders.
It also called for independent and impartial investigations to identify and prosecute everyone involved, irrespective of their rank, position or institutional affiliation.
The organisation further demanded public updates on investigations into previous abduction cases, particularly that of journalist Alex Kiprotich.
Amnesty said authorities must also end the targeting and intimidation of lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders undertaking legitimate professional activities.
Citing the Constitution, the organisation said Article 29 guarantees every person freedom and security, including protection against arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Article 49 also guarantees arrested persons the right to be informed promptly of the reasons for their arrest and to be presented before a court within the constitutionally prescribed period, ordinarily within 24 hours.
“If Abdi is suspected of having committed any offence, the authorities must follow the law and due process,” Morara said.
The organisation maintained that no individual or security agency had the authority to abduct, detain or subject anyone to enforced disappearance outside the law.
It called on the government to uphold its constitutional and international obligations to protect citizens and ensure accountability, warning that abductions must never become an alternative to lawful arrest.
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