The High Court will this morning issue directions in the application filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) over the seven abductees.

At the same time Justice Bahati Mwamuye is expected to give directions on whether to lift his earlier temporary stay order requiring Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin not to personally appear in court this morning.

On January 22, Kanja and Amin got a reprieve after justice Mwamuye stayed his earlier orders requiring the two their  personal attendance.

The two were ordered to explain their involvement in the controversial abduction cases of several young men or face imprisonment.

The court had previously ordered Kanja and Amin, along with George Njao, the Director-General of the National Youth Service (NYS), to attend court proceedings over the disappearances of Billy Munyiri Mwangi, a college student, Ronny Kiplangat (the brother of cartoonist Kibet Bull), content creator Bernard Kavuli, and Peter Muteti, as well as the still-missing Bernard Kavingo. These cases have sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability.

Temporary suspension

 However, in a ruling on January 22, 2025, Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued a temporary suspension of the court orders made on December 31, 2024, and January 8, 2025, which had compelled the three senior government officials to personally explain the circumstances surrounding the disappearances.

The police chiefs were granted a brief reprieve, with the judge ordering that they serve their application to quash the court orders on Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) by the close of business on January 22.

The temporary suspension of the appearance orders comes as the country continues to await answers to the troubling abductions that have rattled public confidence in security agencies.

LSK has filed a lawsuit seeking answers from the police chiefs over the spate of abductions of the young men that happened in December last year.

. The police chiefs now face the final opportunity to appear in court on that date, or risk being held in contempt and potentially jailed. This temporary suspension comes amid growing public concern over the abductions, which have undermined confidence in the country’s security agencies. In a related development, LSK is demanding accountability from the police chiefs over the abductions that occurred in December 2024.E

Earlier lawyer Nyamodi representing the two officers told the court that his instructions were that none of the petitioners have presented themselves at police stations to provide statements. Investigations remain open and active.

Nyamodi also confirmed that Steve Mbisi was not in police custody and that efforts to determine his whereabouts were ongoing.

“For those released, my clients believe they hold crucial information that could help resolve the matter,” Nyamodi added. He requested 14 days to complete the investigations and file a comprehensive report.

Petitioners, represented by Senior Counsel Kalonzo Musyoka, opposed the request, insisting that the court could not proceed without the presence of the police chiefs.