Who is Ahmednasir Abdullahi, The Lawyer Who Refuses to Whisper

Ahmedabdul Nassir pictured at the 2017 hearing seeking to nullified presidential Elections Results  © Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP

Ahmednasir Abdullahi Ahmednasir is one of Kenya’s most prominent and polarising lawyers, known for his sharp criticism of the judiciary, high-profile legal work, and confrontations with the Supreme Court.

A Senior Counsel with more than three decades his legal practice.

Few Kenyan lawyers have lived as publicly, or as controversially, as the man often nicknamed the “Grand Mullah”

Ahmednasir was born on 1966,He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth; rather, he was born in Mandera, the small, marginalized town on the Somali-Kenyan border.

From Mandera to the corridors of influence

His academic journey began at Mandera Primary School and continued at Nairobi School for his A-levels, where he made the long journey from the northeast to the capital.

In 1990, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) with honours from the University of Nairobi, before travelling to the United States to earn a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Cornell University in 1992.

He was admitted to the bar on March 18, 1993 becoming the first advocate from Kenya’s North Eastern Province to achieve that distinction.

Ahmednasir, in a tweet, revealed he was the first person in the North Eastern province- then- to be a qualified lawyer.

"On March 18, 1993, at 11.30 am, Chief Justice Hancox called to the bar a young man from Bulla, Jamhuria, Mandera armed with law degrees," Ahmednasir said.

After law school, Ahmednasir taught at the University of Nairobi’s School of Law for more than a decade, eventually becoming Acting Dean.

Building a legal heavyweight

After a stint teaching law at UoN, he teamed up with another brilliant mind from Mandera, Abdikadir Mohamed - to found Ahmednasir, Abdikadir & Company Advocates - one of the top law firms in the country.

Abdikadir, a Harvard trained lawyer, was also a former legal advisor to former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

His stature rose quickly. Between 2003 and 2005, Ahmednasir served as Chairman of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK)

He later represented LSK on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) until 2013, participating in the vetting and appointment of judges.

His courtroom experience includes representing major institutions such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and former President Uhuru Kenyatta in landmark election petitions.

A lawyer who chose confrontation

Over time, Ahmednasir’s public criticism of Kenya’s judiciary became louder and more personal. He accused judges of corruption and incompetence, claiming without evidence that a Supreme Court judge had accepted a multi-million shilling bribe to influence a ruling

Abdullahi claimed that the Supreme Court is “the most corrupt institution in Kenya”. His most recent allegation, shared with his 2.5 million followers on X, claimed without evidence that a judge had accepted a bribe of KSh4m to influence a ruling.

The response was swift. In January 2024, the Supreme Court issued a rare order permanently barring Ahmednasir and anyone acting on his instructions from appearing before it, citing persistent and baseless attacks on its judges. Chief Justice Martha Koome described his remarks as “malicious and politically motivated”

Ahmednasir called the ban “a badge of honour,” insisting the judiciary was protecting itself instead of investigating corruption.

Return to the Supreme Court

After years away from the apex court, Ahmednasir won a significant professional victory.

On January 23, 2026, the Supreme Court lifted the ban, allowing him, his law firm, and anyone acting on his instructions to appear before the court again in ongoing and future proceedings.

The ruling, delivered by Chief Justice Martha Koome, comes after an application by Ahmednasir’s legal team, led by Senior Counsel Paul Muite and Fred Ngatia, requesting the vacation of a 2024 suo motu order that had barred him, his law firm, or anyone acting on his instructions from appearing before the Supreme Court.

The original order, issued on January 23, 2024, followed concerns over comments made by Ahmednasir that were deemed offensive to the integrity and dignity of the Supreme Court.

But beyond the legal world, Ahmednasir is also a businessman with interests in media, banking, and real estate.

Beyond the courtroom

He has leveraged his success as a lawyer to pursue his love for media - under the Al Nur Media Group which he chairs.

The company publishes the Nairobi Law Monthly and the Nairobi Business Monthly - two magazines that run in the city. It also owns the largest and the first Somali TV channel in Kenya - RTN TV.

After a stint teaching law at UoN, he teamed up with another brilliant mind from Mandera, Abdikadir Mohamed - to found Ahmednasir, Abdikadir & Company Advocates - one of the top law firms in the country.

Banking

In 2008, Ahmednasir and Abdikadir received the green light to start First Community Bank (FCB) after gathering a group of partners.

Other FCB founders include Hassan Varvani who is also the bank’s chairman, and Amir Nahdi – a Tanzanian businessman.

“I was having a chit-chat with the former Mandera Central MP, Abdikadir Mohamed, a really brilliant guy, and he suggested the idea and we thought it would work,” the lawyer revealed in a past interview.

FCB was the first fully-fledged Sharia-compliant bank in Kenya that mainly targets Muslim faithful.

The banking laws for Muslims are different since the Quran outlaws interest (riba) on money either borrowed or deposited.

Ahmednasir, a devout Muslim, is on record declaring that he has never taken loans, advising entrepreneurs against borrowing seed capital.

“Starting a business using credit is not a good idea, I wouldn’t do it myself. You have to generate enough seed money to start your business without borrowing.

“I have never taken a loan in my life. Business should also serve a greater cause than just making a profit, “ he stated in a past interview.

Upon meeting all the requirements, the CBK granted them approval to conduct the business of a bank.

As is required by law, this was followed by the acquisition of the primary location of the bank, IT systems and other necessary operating facilities as well as the recruitment of staff for the institution.

CBK officials were then invited to the business premises to conduct an inspection of the property and systems and the partners paid the requisite fees needed for a license.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 2 of the Central Bank of Kenya Act, the Central Bank of Kenya specifies, for purposes of the Act, the bank set out below. First Community Bank Limited,” read the Gazette Notice by then-CBK Governor Njuguna Ndung'u.

In September 2008, former Finance Minister John Michuki exempted the bank from certain sections of the Banking Act in order to enable First Community Bank Limited to offer products that are Sharia-compliant.

Within six years of operation, the bank had an asset base of Ksh12.5 billion and more than 100,000 customers.

The bank owns the FCB Mihrab building in Kilimani which serves as its head office