Kenya's Senate has summoned Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to explain the rising number of abductions across the country. The two security chiefs are due to appear before the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on Thursday, 19 November 2026.

The summons was issued at a session of the committee on Tuesday, chaired by Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo, amid growing alarm over enforced disappearances and what senators described as police impunity. The committee warned that the abductions were creating fear among Kenyans, threatening public security and damaging the country's international reputation as it prepares for the 2027 General Election.

Senators demand answers over abductions

Senators want Murkomen and Kanja to account for the reported cases and to set out the steps being taken to find the missing and stop further abductions. The committee has set separate dates for the officials to appear, with the two security chiefs expected on 19 November, according to The Eastleigh Voice.

Dullo told the committee that about 10 people had been abducted in her home county of Isiolo alone. "We are experiencing so many abductions across the country. For instance, in a county like Isiolo, about 10 people have been abducted. This is shocking and is creating fear among Kenyans," she said.

The abduction of lawyer Abshir Abdi

The most recent case raised by senators is that of Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi, who was seized by armed individuals along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, in Nairobi at about 4.43am on 1 November. Amnesty International Kenya says the incident was captured on CCTV and that Abdi has not been released.

Amnesty said Abdi had been handling a case before the Makadara Law Courts in which he had raised complaints against police and intelligence officers. The organisation said the apparent use of police-grade weapons and tactical equipment by the abductors raised serious concerns about the circumstances of his disappearance and the possible involvement of security personnel.

Government pushes back on police blame

The government has pushed back against claims linking the police to the disappearances. Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, speaking on NTV on Tuesday, 10 November, said security agencies should not automatically be blamed whenever a person goes missing without the circumstances being established.

"A case where someone is missing, of course, the easiest conversation is that the police have done this. But you are aware we've had cases where people go missing after a month or so, they show up for one reason or another, and you find that police are completely not involved," Omollo said, according to Radio Generation.

Omollo said the Inspector General and other senior officers had appeared in court to answer questions about missing persons, and pointed to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, which has the constitutional role of investigating allegations of police misconduct.

A wider pattern of disappearances

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has documented 46 cases of enforced disappearance in 2026. Of those, 35 were included in the commission's National Reparations Framework, presented to President William Ruto on 15 June, and a further 11 were linked to the protests of 25 June.

Amnesty International Kenya has also raised the alarm over 22 enforced disappearances recorded in 2026, documented by the Missing Voices Coalition. Former Chief Justice David Maraga has described Kenya as increasingly becoming an "abductors' paradise" and a centre for transnational repression in East Africa.

The Judiciary has also been drawn into the row. In a statement on Friday, 6 November, it said investigating abductions was not its mandate, arguing that courts serve as independent and impartial arbiters of disputes rather than investigative or law enforcement agencies. It nevertheless condemned abductions and enforced disappearances and said all state and security agencies must obey court orders.

Senators say they expect Murkomen and Kanja to explain what is being done to find those still missing and to hold those responsible to account.