LSK marches over missing lawyer and demands answers from police

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) led a protest march over the alleged abduction of a lawyer, and his family has appealed for him to be produced in court.

What happened

LSK members held a peaceful protest march after Advocate Abshir Abdi disappeared [2]. Speaking outside the Milimani Law Courts on Friday, LSK President Charles Kanjama condemned the incident and warned against what he called a growing culture of impunity [2]. Kanjama then led lawyers in a march to Jogoo House, where they were expected to present a memorandum to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja. The memorandum demands answers about Abdi's whereabouts and his safe return [2].

Human rights defenders also joined the demonstration and expressed concern over the safety of lawyers [1]. The brother of the missing lawyer made an emotional appeal to security agencies to produce him in court if they have evidence linking him to any offence [3].

Why Kenyans are searching for it

The sources describe the protest and the disappearance but do not explain why the search term has risen. They do not give a reason for the surge in interest.

Key facts

• Date of alleged abduction: the early hours of November 1, along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road [2].
• CCTV: footage reportedly showed armed men pursuing Abdi before bundling him into a waiting vehicle [2].
• Car: his car was later recovered abandoned along the same road [2].
• Name: the sources give different versions. One refers to Abshir Abdi, who practises at Abshir & Njagi Advocates [2], and another to Ahmed Sadeq Abdi Abshir [3].
• Wider context: a new report documents alleged abductions, torture, unlawful surveillance and attacks on journalists during protests between 2023 and 2025 [1].

What to watch

The sources do not report a response from the police to the memorandum. Watch for any official statement on Abdi's whereabouts, and whether he is produced in court as his brother has asked [3]. Any findings on the allegations in the report cited above would also be significant [1]. The allegations in this case remain unproven in the sources and should be read as allegations.

Sources

1. [1] [PHOTOS] LSK stages protest over missing lawyer Abdi - Nairobi Tea
2. [2] LSK holds protest march over missing lawyer Abshir Abdi - Nairobi Tea
3. [3] ‘Produce him’ – Emotional brother of missing lawyer Ahmed Abshir speaks as LSK protests in Nairobi - Nairobi Tea

Compiled by the NairobiCity trend desk from the sources above.