NAIROBI, Kenya — The head of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, has been summoned to court this Thursday at 11 a.m. to answer one urgent question: Where is blogger Ndiang’ui Kinyagia?
Justice Chacha Mwita issued the order on Tuesday, expressing frustration over the DCI’s failure to comply with a court directive to produce Kinyagia—alive or dead.
Kinyagia, a prominent activist and digital commentator, vanished on June 21, 2025, shortly after posting critical content online linked to the June 25 protests. According to court filings, DCI officers were last seen at his Kinoo residence on the day he disappeared.
“I have read the pleadings,” said Justice Mwita. “The DCI officers visited his residence, and they are the only ones who were there when he vanished. We need an explanation.”
In court, senior counsels Martha Karua, Willis Otieno, Babu Owino, and Abuner Mango argued that the DCI had already acknowledged interest in Kinyagia, admitting their officers conducted a search at his home and seized several items—laptops, phones, and passports—but left without him.
“The presence of the Subarus and officers in civilian clothes has not been denied,” said Otieno. “We can speak a lot of English in here, but the heart of the matter is simple—Ndiang’ui’s liberty and life are at stake.”
Since the disappearance, there’s been growing concern that Kinyagia’s case is another instance in Kenya’s long history of enforced disappearances. Civil rights groups have linked his vanishing to a broader crackdown on digital dissent and youth-led activism.
The DCI has remained tight-lipped about Kinyagia’s location, only confirming the search of his residence and recovery of electronics. But Judge Mwita isn’t having it.
“There’s no way a Kenyan will get out of his home and vanish from this world without a trace,” the judge said. “It is not humanly possible.”
The case has sparked public outcry, with the hashtag #WhereIsNdiangui trending as citizens demand accountability. This is happening in the background of #justiceforOjwang, another blogger who suffered torture and even died in the hands of security officers while in custody.
Rights activists say the court’s decision to hold the DCI boss personally responsible could mark a turning point in the ongoing battle against state-led intimidation.
For now, all eyes are on Thursday’s court session, where Kenyans hope to get answers—or at the very least, a step closer to justice.
