Nairobi, Kenya — NARC-Kenya party leader Martha Karua has launched a scathing attack on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), accusing the agency of blatantly defying court orders in the case of missing blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia.
Speaking during a court session on Tuesday, Karua faulted the DCI for failing to produce Kinyagia in court, despite an active habeas corpus application and mounting public concern over his disappearance.
“There has been no compliance. They are not taking the orders of this court seriously,” Karua told the judge. “It is their business to find him — that’s why we pay them.”
The blogger was reportedly abducted by unidentified individuals outside his Kinoo apartment on June 21, days after allegedly posting content on social media linked to planned protests near State House — actions authorities claim violated the Protected Areas Act.
In a sworn affidavit, Sergeant Samuel Itegi of the DCI denied arresting or detaining Kinyagia, dismissing claims that the blogger is being held incommunicado as “malicious, unfounded, and baseless.”
The DCI disclosed that intelligence linked Kinyagia to online posts on X (formerly Twitter), which included a timetable for peaceful protests commemorating young Kenyans killed during the June 25, 2024, demonstrations near Parliament.
DCI officers say they tracked Kinyagia to his residence but found the apartment locked and his phones switched off. They conducted a warrantless search on the night of June 21, seizing laptops, mobile phones, passports, and other personal items. The search, they say, was witnessed by the building’s caretaker, who reported that Kinyagia had left earlier with a man and two women.
Karua, however, cast doubt on the credibility of the DCI’s account, alleging that the affidavit may contain misleading or even forged details.
“We have noted several differences,” she told the court, pointing to inconsistencies in the timeline and documentation provided by the DCI.
She also criticised the DCI for choosing to issue a public denial late in the evening rather than facing the court directly. “He appears before the public to deny holding Ndiangui, but can’t come to court and explain himself? That’s sub judice,” Karua submitted.
The DCI, through its legal counsel, has asked the court to dismiss the habeas corpus application, maintaining that Kinyagia is not in state custody.
“The second respondent did not arrest the second petitioner. He is not in the hands of my client,” the DCI’s lawyer stated.
The High Court is expected to issue further directions in the coming days as public pressure mounts on state agencies to account for Kinyagia’s whereabouts.
By Were Kelly
