Somali businessman's body found days after disappearance in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya - A Somali-American engineer cum businessman has been found dead, about 10 days after his disappearance in Kenya.

Bashir Mohammed went missing from some leafy suburbs of Nairobi but efforts by friends and family to get hold of him have been futile. His Range Rover was found burnt to ashes a few days later in Kibiku Forest within the outskirts of Nairobi.

Charles Madowo, who is the family lawyer, confirmed the tragic death in a statement after days of search, adding that the body of the entrepreneur was found in Mwea Level 5 Hospital in Kiranyaga County, about 200 KM north of Nairobi.

"As the family processes this tragic news and plans for his burial, they ask for privacy," Madowo said, adding that: "When as Bashir rests, the family shall not rest until justice is found and those responsible for his death brought to book."

He did not provide further details with regard to the death. Bernard Korir, an investigation officer told the Star the body was found afloat River Nyamindi by residents.

“The body was discovered last Sunday, May 16, in the downstream area of the Nyamindi river. It was found naked and had deep cuts in the face,” he said.

“The residents then reported the matter to the police who helped in retrieving the body and took it to the Kerugoya hospital morgue, where it was booked under 'an unidentified body belonging to a male adult',” said Korir.

He said that after taking the fingerprints of the deceased, they sent them to the national registrar which processed and confirmed the identity of the body as Bashir's.

The matter he said has now been referred to Dagoretti's investigation office, where it was being investigated.

The businessman went missing on May 13. That evening he had driven into Miale lounge and CCTV footage shows him dishing money, appearing to be Sh1,000 notes, to bouncers and security guards, perhaps in the spirit of Ramadan

Preliminary reports indicated that a scuffle might have ensued where Bashir and his friends were having lunch, just moments after he drove out. A vehicle is said to have blocked his Range Rover but it was not immediately clear who blocked the why and why he/she wasn't discovered given the heavy presence of CCTV cameras in Nairobi.

Thereafter, police familiar with the case said, Bashir made a phone call to his wife but he couldn't finish the conversation given that someone might have snatched the phone. It's not clear who snatched the phone before the businessman disappeared.

A number of politicians have condemned the death, some calling for expeditious investigations into the murder. Both the government of Kenya and the United States of America are yet to issue statements with regard to the death.

GAROWE ONLINE