In courts: Directions to be issued in blogger Kinyagia disappearance case

The High Court is today set to issue directions in the ongoing habeas corpus application concerning the disappearance of blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia.

This comes a day after the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, was ordered to either produce him in court or give a credible explanation regarding his whereabouts.

The directive, issued by Justice Chacha Mwita on Monday, June 30, followed a petition filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) amid growing concerns over Kinyagia’s alleged abduction.

Kinyagia was reportedly seized by masked, unidentified people in unmarked vehicles outside his apartment in Kinoo on June 21 and has not been seen since.

His family and rights groups, including Amnesty International and activist Boniface Mwangi, demanded his immediate release.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) denied holding him.

The agency, however, admitted that he was a person of interest linked to controversial social media posts.

DCI boss Mohamed Amin confirmed that officers conducted a search at Kinyagia’s residence and seized electronic devices, but claimed the blogger was not found.

With the court having directed the Inspector General to serve all relevant responses by today, Justice Mwita is expected to issue further directions on the next course of action.

In another case, the High Court is today expected to hear a petition filed seeking to compel the government to disclose the whereabouts or status of Benedict Kabiru, a Kenyan police officer who went missing while deployed in Haiti as part of the government’s peacekeeping mission.

The petition was filed under a certificate of urgency by Jacinta Wanjiku Kabiru and Daniel Kabiru Ndung’u, the mother and uncle of the officer.

It raises concerns over the state’s failure to provide credible information or regular updates on the officer’s well-being, leaving the family in prolonged anguish.

They say the silence from state agencies amounts to psychological torture and a violation of their constitutional rights.

The family is also asking the court to order the government to confirm whether Kabiru is alive or dead, and if deceased, to reveal where his remains are.