Missing blogger Ndiang'ui Kinyagia has said he will present himself only if his security is guaranteed. Photo: DCI X.
High Court Judge Chacha Mwita has directed the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin, and Inspector General of Police (IG) Douglas Kanja, to produce missing blogger and activist Ndiang’ui Kinyagia in court dead or alive.
Mwita issued the directive on Tuesday, following an application habeas corpus filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which is seeking urgent production of Kinyaggia, who went missing on June 21.
In his ruling, Mwita expressed his concerns over callous handling of the issue by the state, stating that the DCI officers are believed to be the last seen around the missing blogger’s residence in Kinoo.
“I have heard you and read the pleadings. The DCI officers visited his residence, and they were the only ones when the blogger disappeared. We need an explanation of where the person is,” Mwita stated.
Mwita questioned the credibility of the State’s account, which noted that the caretaker cited by police had sworn an affidavit and could not be independently verified. Additionally, he directed that Amin to present himself to court on Thursday July 3.
The Court’s directive come as the State claims that the missing blogger is a person of interest, as cited in the affidavit by DCI Sergeant Samuel Itegi that Kinyagia is under investigation for allegedly inciting the public during the Gen Z protests.
In his address to the nation on Monday 30, Amin had stated that the blogger is not in police custody, and should present himself to the nearest police station. Police had reported that their trace at his residence had been in vain.
However, they were able to seize several items from the blogger’s house including laptops, phones and passports, which they argued was in accordance with Section 60 of the National Police Service Act. The case is expected to be in Court on Thursday, for further directions, when Amin appears before Justice Chacha Mwita.
