This archive report was first published on 3 July 2021.
On June 12, 2021, Mwenda Mbijiwe, a prominent security consultant, went missing, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. His car was later discovered in a coffee plantation near Tatu City in Kiambu, sparking a desperate search for the missing man.
Mbijiwe's mother, Jane Gatwiri, has appealed to the international community, specifically the US, Israel, and South Africa, to join the search for her son. She expressed her concerns about the police's reluctance to find him and their withholding of information from her.
Ms. Gatwiri's appeal comes 22 days after Mbijiwe left Nairobi for his rural home in Kimbo village, Meru County. The family believes he is still alive and is seeking clear reports from the government on the matter.
Speaking to the press, Ms. Gatwiri raised several questions, including why the car's owner, Edward Mwangi, was allowed to repossess the vehicle without recording a statement. She claimed Mwangi is a police officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Nairobi, which is actively involved in the Mbijiwe probe.
It has also emerged that Tamara Mbijiwe, who gave press interviews on Mwenda's disappearance while posing as his sister, is not related to him. Ms. Mbijiwe is the daughter of former Rift Valley Provincial Police Officer John Mbijiwe.
Ms. Gatwiri expressed her concerns about the delay in finding her son, saying, 'We are disturbed since the same people carrying out the investigations are the same people who recovered the vehicle. The DCI officer was not even asked to record a statement yet police keep telling us that they are busy pursuing the matter.'
Her concerns were echoed by Mbijiwe's step-father, Stephen Nkonge, who accused the police of reluctance to resolve the issue. He suggested that the Kenyan government invite the USA (FBI), Israel, and South Africa governments to help find Mbijiwe.
Mbijiwe, a popular commentator on security matters, was raised in Kimbo village, Kibirichia, and had previously declared his intention to contest for the Meru gubernatorial post in 2017.
