Wife hopeful missing lawyer will return

Missing lawyer Willie Kimani. He has been missing for almost a week now but his wife believes he will return. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

The wife of a lawyer who has been missing for almost a week believes he will return.

Hanna Kimani has not given up hope that her husband Willie Kimani (below) is alive somewhere. She claimed police may know where he is.

"I believe he is somewhere alive and okay but I wonder why he has not returned my calls and texts. He will be back," she said.

Hanna said she last spoke with Mr Kimani last Thursday at 9.17am when he was at the Mavoko Law Courts. He disappeared alongside his client and a taxi driver after the court appearance.

She called him at 4pm, but he did not answer. She then sent him an SMS, that too went unanswered.

"It has been a long week of waiting for him to reply to my texts and missed calls. I keep calling up to now," she said.

The couple has two boys aged four and nine months. Kimani's brother Njoroge said he was eager to find out his whereabouts. They both said Kimani had not expressed any fears, and he was in high spirits last Thursday.

Kimani, his client Eric Mwenda and their driver Joseph Muiruri have been missing since June 23 when they appeared in court for a case in which Mwenda has been sued for possessing marijuana and overloading.

She said since the news went on air, several colleagues and friends of Kimani have been visiting and praying with her. She recorded a statement with the police on Sunday.

Police handling the case have interrogated some employees at International Justice Mission where Kimani works.

The team of detectives yesterday interrogated staff of Mavoko Law Courts. The Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro said they were giving the case the needed attention.

"Officers are pursuing it professionally and we hope to find links," he said.

The team that visited Mavoko wanted to interrogate guards there to understand how the victims left the compound. This came after a boda boda rider claimed he collected a paper thrown out of the cells by Kimani with his wife's contacts, an indication he and the others may have been held there before they went missing.

The Law Society of Kenya President Isaac Okero described the mysterious disappearance as unfortunate. 

Mwenda had lodged a complaint with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority accusing an Administration Police officer of attempted murder.