We don’t have blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia in custody, DCI says
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Monday Ndiangui Kinyagia, the blogger and activist who went missing from his house in Kinoo, Kiambu County on June 22 is not in police custody.
Kinyagia was forcefully picked up from the house by suspected security officers in Subaru vehicles in Kinoo area, according to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which cited Kinyagia’s neighbours.
His whereabouts have remained unknown since.
DCI Director Mohammed Amin said police don’t know about the blogger’s whereabouts, either.
“Ndiangui is not under the custody of the National Police Service. He is a person of interest to us and wherever he is, I would urge that he submits and surrenders himself to the DCI,” he said.
Amin confirmed that Kinyagia was linked to an X account that posted a viral photo of a mock invitation to the concluded June 25 demonstration to commemorate last year’s deadly anti-finance bill protests.
The mock image, shared on June 19, featured Kenya’s coat of arms and an itinerary of events, among them a march to the State House in Nairobi and the swearing-in of a so-called transition council.
“He was a person of interest to us after he published very, very inflammatory material on social media,” Amin told reporters, claiming that police officers only searched Kinyagia’s house, confiscated some of his gadgets, and left.
“We managed to recover an assortment of electronic gadgets we believed would be useful to us in our investigations,” the DCI boss said.
He said the inventory was signed by a caretaker at the apartment as he denied the police were holding him.
“We don’t have him; that is what I am going to say to the judge tomorrow. He should surrender to assist in our investigations,” Amin said.
LSK has said Kinyagia’s case “bears the hallmarks of an enforced disappearance and a possible unlawful arrest or detention.”
“The LSK views it as a grave violation of constitutional rights and a direct attack on the rule of law in Kenya. We are demanding immediate and transparent action from the authorities,” the lawyers’ body said last week.
This came as locals in Ruaka said there was a man found on the roadside who resembled the missing blogger.
Police said Tuesday they are investigating the claims. The man was rushed to hospital amid investigations and efforts to identify him.
The High Court Monday ordered Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja to produce Kinyagia who has been missing for 11 days.
The IG is expected to explain why he cannot be found.
Presiding over the matter, Justice Chacha Mwita stated the victim is a human being.
“This is an application of habeas corpus touching on a Kenyan who is a human being… I have taken into account the fact that the second applicant has not been found for 10 days and that the life of a citizen is in danger.”
The court directed that the application be served on the respondents by close of business Monday, with responses due within seven days.
Justice Mwita ordered the IG to either produce Kinyagia in court or provide a satisfactory explanation by Tuesday 11:00 a.m. during an in-person mention of the matter.
The application was filed after Kinyagia’s whereabouts remained unknown for over a week, raising alarm over possible enforced disappearance.
More than 20 people were killed and 400 wounded in the protests.
Property worth millions of shillings was destroyed in the protests.