The High Court in Nairobi has directed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohamed Amin to produce missing blogger and political activist Ndiangui Kinyagia in court by 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025—or offer a legally justifiable explanation for his absence. The order was issued under a habeas corpus application filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) following Kinyagia’s sudden and suspicious disappearance more than a week ago.
Kinyagia was reportedly abducted on the evening of Friday, June 21, in Kinoo, Kiambu County, by individuals believed to be plainclothes officers from the DCI. Witnesses claim he was forced into an unmarked vehicle with tinted windows by armed men, after which he has not been seen or heard from. Authorities have since remained silent on his whereabouts.
Key figures in the case include IG Douglas Kanja, DCI Director Mohamed Amin, blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia, and Justice Chacha Mwita, who issued the court order. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) is the petitioner, having filed the application seeking Kinyagia’s production. Civil society groups such as Amnesty International Kenya and activists like Boniface Mwangi have also voiced concern over Kinyagia’s fate.
Kinyagia was last seen on the night of June 21, 2025. The habeas corpus application was heard on Monday, June 30, at the Milimani Law Courts, where Justice Mwita issued the production order. The court ordered that Kinyagia must be presented in person by 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, or that the IG and DCI must attend court themselves to explain his disappearance.
Kinyagia’s disappearance is widely seen as politically motivated. In the days before he went missing, he had posted protest schedules, messages critical of the government, and logistical information regarding the June 25 anti-Finance Bill protests, which called for a march to State House in Nairobi. His abduction coincided with an escalating government crackdown on activists, students, and vocal online critics under the guise of enforcing public order.
Civil society groups have accused the state of orchestrating enforced disappearances—a tactic associated with authoritarian regimes—where individuals are unlawfully detained without acknowledgment. The LSK, in its court application, stated: “The arrest and continued detention of Mr. Kinyagia, if done by state agencies, amounts to a violation of Article 29 of the Constitution, which protects every Kenyan from arbitrary detention and cruel treatment.”
The matter is currently being handled under the framework of habeas corpus—a constitutional remedy compelling the state to either release a detainee or justify their detention. Justice Mwita, in his ruling, gave the government until Tuesday morning to act or face further legal action.
“If the individual cannot be produced as directed, the responsible state officers shall personally appear before this court and explain the steps taken to either secure or confirm his whereabouts,” Justice Mwita ruled.
The court also instructed that the habeas corpus application be served on the IG, DCI, Attorney General, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, and other relevant state agencies by Monday afternoon, with a formal response expected within seven days.
Meanwhile, public outcry has grown online and across university campuses, where Kinyagia’s activism had taken root. The hashtag #FreeNdianguiKinyagia has continued to trend, with thousands demanding answers. Amnesty Kenya called for immediate state compliance, stating: “The government must come clean. Ndiangui must be produced, alive and safe. There can be no justification for secret detentions.”
Boniface Mwangi, a vocal human rights activist, criticized the silence of state officials and warned that impunity could deepen unrest: “If they can disappear someone like Ndiangui, they can do it to anyone. This is not just his fight—it’s about the future of free expression in Kenya.”
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has initiated inquiries into the alleged abduction, while the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is under increasing pressure to investigate claims that DCI officers were involved.
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