Tension gripped the Milimani High Court on Tuesday, July 1, as activist Mulinge Muteti caused a momentary disruption during proceedings concerning the disappearance of blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia. Muteti, visibly agitated, rose in protest when the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through their legal representative, denied involvement in the blogger’s disappearance.
The DCI, represented by lawyer Christopher Marwa, maintained that the agency did not arrest Kinyagia and had no knowledge of his current whereabouts. However, this assertion provoked a strong emotional outburst from Muteti, who accused the DCI of insincerity and complicity in a wider pattern of extrajudicial actions targeting innocent citizens.
Muteti denounced the claims by the DCI as contradictory and dismissive of the anguish being endured by Kinyagia’s family. “We will not come here to listen to your stories,” he shouted, adding that if the authorities were not responsible, they should provide credible leads or produce the missing blogger in court.
He further accused law enforcement agencies of betraying the very citizens they are mandated to protect. “The people who are supposed to protect us have turned out to be the greatest threat to our security,” Muteti lamented, asserting that the pattern of forced disappearances and unexplained detentions was becoming alarmingly common.
Security officers in court tried to contain the situation by urging Muteti to sit down and allow proceedings to continue. However, the activist stood his ground, insisting on completing his protest before sitting down. His refusal to be silenced highlighted the rising frustration among civil society actors over the perceived lack of accountability from state agencies in such cases.
It took the intervention of lawyer Kibe Mungai to restore calm in the courtroom. Mungai convinced Muteti to compose himself and allow the judicial process to proceed uninterrupted.
During his submissions, Marwa reiterated that the DCI was not holding Kinyagia and had no information on his whereabouts. He informed the court that the agency had sworn an affidavit providing a detailed account of the events surrounding the blogger’s disappearance. According to Marwa, the affidavit categorically stated that the second petitioner, Kinyagia, was never arrested by DCI officers and was not in their custody.
He further emphasized that the agency had no interest in obstructing justice and was equally concerned about Kinyagia’s well-being. “It is also in our interest that the missing person is found,” he noted.
The matter continues to raise serious concerns about human rights, state transparency, and the growing calls for reforms in how the security apparatus handles civilian complaints and suspected abductions.
