"I just want my son back", a mother's plea for help after alleged abduction by DCI officers

A peaceful afternoon in Kinoo was shattered on Saturday when, according to locals, a fleet of Subaru vehicles pulled up outside a residential building and a tense standoff began, one that would end with a man gone and a family plunged into fear and confusion.

Ndiang’ui Kinyagia, a 35-year-old IT specialist and popular social media user known by his online alias Daguin Dd, has not been seen or heard from since that afternoon.

His family now believes officers took him from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and they are desperate for answers.

His mother, Margaret Rukwaro, spoke about the last conversation she had with her son around 10 a.m on Saturday.

“I called him to check on how he was doing. His phone was off, but he responded on WhatsApp, telling me he would be offline for about an hour. I asked if everything was okay, and he assured me all was well,” she said during an interview with the Standard.

But by 1:00 pm, both his phone and WhatsApp had gone completely silent.

“I panicked. I stayed up the entire night trying to call him. As a mother, I felt something was wrong,” Rukwaro said, her voice heavy with emotion. She said his sudden lack of online activity was unusual and alarming.

Unable to reach him, she asked her daughter Njeri to visit Kinyagia’s house in Kinoo.

What they found left them shocked and disturbed. On Monday, they were informed by neighbours that a dramatic incident had unfolded two days earlier.

“They told us that on Saturday at around 2:00 pm, 10 Subaru vehicles arrived, and men, whom they later knew were DCI officers, tried to access the premises. The caretaker refused because they had no search warrant. A standoff ensued until around 9:00 pm, when they broke in and ransacked the house,” Rukwaro said.

The officers allegedly left with two laptops, two phones, two passports, and a yellow fever card.

An inventory was written on a plain sheet bearing a DCI logo after the caretaker demanded a record of what was taken.

Seeking help, the family went to report the matter at Kinoo Police Station. But what they found there was more confusion than support.

“He told us he should have been informed, and gave us an OB number. We want our son back. I don’t have another son. I voted for this government. Why are they doing this to our children?” Rukwaro posed.

Njeri, Kinyagia’s sister, was equally heartbroken and angry.

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“If anyone was offended by his posts, let them follow due process. This is supposed to be a free country. People may disagree with your opinions, but abducting someone is reckless and only aggravates the situation,” she said.

She linked her brother’s disappearance to his recent efforts in promoting the Gen Z protest anniversary on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

“We have seen the programme posted so many times. If that is the reason, then they should arrest the millions who reposted it. What is happening is disturbing,” the sister said.

Their fears have been echoed by the Law Society of Kenya, which condemned the incident as a grave violation of rights.

“The details shared with us by Kinyagia’s family are deeply troubling. This incident bears hallmarks of an enforced disappearance and possible unlawful detention,” read a statement from the LSK.

The family’s lawyer, Wahome Thuku, criticised the entire operation and called it a clear case of intimidation.

“From what the family has shared, this was an irregular operation. You cannot break into someone’s house without a court order, especially in their absence,” he said.

He confirmed that the family had filed a police report and that they now intended to move to court. “We reasonably believe the police know where he is or are directly involved. The courts must act swiftly,” Thuku said.

As the days pass with no word on Kinyagia’s whereabouts, his mother’s pain grows deeper. Her voice trembled as she made her plea: “I just want my son back.”