Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua has sharply criticised Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin for defying a court order to account for the whereabouts of missing blogger Ndiang’ui Kinyagia.
Speaking during a habeas corpus hearing on Tuesday, Karua condemned the senior police officials for what she termed as blatant disobedience of a court directive issued on Monday. The order required them to either produce Kinyagia in court or provide a credible explanation for his disappearance.
“The IG Police and the DCI director ought to be here before you. Nothing whatsoever has been said about their blatant disobedience of the court order,” Karua told the court, questioning the commitment of the police in investigating the blogger’s disappearance.
Kinyagia was allegedly abducted on June 21, 2025, by masked men from his apartment in Kinoo. His family reported the incident two days later at Kinoo Police Station, but nearly a month later, no tangible progress has been made in locating him.
Karua lamented the lack of investigative effort, stating, “From the 23rd to today, there is nothing in the replying affidavit of the respondents to tell us how far they have gone with the investigations and what they have done, if at all, to find Kinyagia.”
She emphasised that even if the police deny holding the blogger, it is their duty to investigate and safeguard the welfare of citizens. “That is why we pay them. That is why they exist,” she asserted.
Justice Chacha Mwita, who is presiding over the matter, had ordered that Kinyagia be produced in court by July 2 at 11:00 a.m., citing concerns for his safety after ten days of unexplained disappearance.
In a sworn affidavit, DCI boss Amin denied that Kinyagia was in their custody, acknowledging that the blogger was a person of interest for allegedly posting inflammatory content online. He claimed officers did not find him during a search at his home.
Amnesty International Kenya and activist Boniface Mwangi have since condemned the silence from the police and demanded Kinyagia’s immediate release, calling for transparency and accountability in the ongoing investigation.
