Ndiangui Kinyagia: IG Kanja Snubs Court Summons to Respond to Whereabouts of Missing Blogger
- Embakasi East MP Babu Owino returned to court, this time defending a missing blogger in a high-stakes legal battle
- The MP accused police of detaining the IT expert incommunicado after a raid linked to a controversial protest post
- Despite a court summons, the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja failed to appear, deepening concerns about possible enforced disappearance
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
Nairobi: Embakasi East MP Babu Owino was today back in court as an advocate for a missing man.
Source: UGC
He stood before Justice Chacha Mwita to represent 31-year-old blogger and IT expert Ndiangui Kinyagia, whose whereabouts remain unknown over ten days since his reported arrest.
On Monday, June 30, Babu filed a habeas corpus application at the High Court in Nairobi, asking the judge to compel the police to produce Kinyagia in court.
What happened to Ndiangui Kinyagia?
He argued that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had arrested Kinyagia at his Kinoo home.
Mwita ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to produce Kinyagia in court by Tuesday, July 1, or personally appear at 11am to explain his disappearance.
But Kanja failed to show up, sparking outrage from Babu and raising further suspicion about the blogger’s fate.
Babu told the court that there is evidence linking police to the blogger's disappearance, criticising the IG for failing to communicate or even send legal representation.
“The fifth and sixth respondents have shown the unseriousness they have. They have not even taken someone to represent them before you,” he said.
Babu cited a past case during the Nyayo era, where a detained man named Karanja was allegedly murdered and later exhumed so his family could view the body.
He argued that, despite the wrongdoing of that time, at least families were granted closure—something lacking today.
“Back then, in Karanja’s case, he was detained without trial and later murdered. His body was exhumed and handed over to the family. That means the Nyayo era was better than today, because now we cannot even recover a body. It is my prayer that this court asserts its authority and helps this nation achieve justice,” he said.
Why was Kinyagia under investigation?
Kinyagia had been linked to a provocative post shared on X (formerly Twitter), which appeared to support the anti-government protests held on June 25.
Styled like an official announcement, the post bore the national coat of arms and listed mock activities such as a march to State House Nairobi and the installation of a “transition council”.
Authorities flagged the content as incitement and declared Kinyagia a person of interest.
Following this, a search was conducted at his residence on Friday, June 21. Witnesses reported seeing around ten vehicles—allegedly carrying DCI officers—arrive at the building around 2 pm.
After hours of talks with the caretaker, the officers reportedly forced their way in around 9 pm without showing a warrant.
Kinyagia was allegedly arrested, and several electronic devices were seized.
Source: UGC
What did DCI say about Kinyagia's whereabouts?
However, DCI Director Amin Mohamed later denied that Kinyagia was ever taken into custody.
Addressing the media on the afternoon of June 30, he urged Kinyagia to surrender himself at the nearest police station, insisting that no officers were holding him and that the earlier search was carried out lawfully in his absence.
Amin confirmed he would comply with the court’s directive and appear in person, reiterating that the investigation remains open and asked the missing blogger to cooperate.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
