High Court orders IG Kanja to produce missing lawyer Ndiangui Kinyagia or explain his whereabouts
The application was filed after Kiangui's whereabouts remained unknown for over a week, raising concerns over possible enforced disappearance.
The High Court has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to either produce missing lawyer and blogger Ndiangui Kinyagia in court or provide a valid explanation for his disappearance.
Justice Chacha Mwita issued the orders after Kinyagia was said to be missing for over 10 days.
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"This is an application of habeas corpus touching on a Kenyan who is a human being... I have taken into account the fact that the second applicant has not been found for 10 days and that the life of a citizen is in danger."
Justice Mwita also directed that the application be served on the respondents by close of business on Monday, with responses due within seven days.
In a decisive move, Justice Mwita ordered the IG to either produce Kinyagia in court or provide a satisfactory explanation by 11:00 am tomorrow (Tuesday) during an in-person mention of the matter.
The application was filed after Kinyagia's whereabouts remained unknown for over a week, raising concerns over possible enforced disappearance.
Last week, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) filed a petition seeking the court to compel police to produce a missing activist who was allegedly abducted by masked men believed to be plainclothes police officers.
Abducted in Kinoo
In an application filed under urgency, LSK claimed that Kinyangia was allegedly abducted on June 21 in Kinoo.
It wanted the court to issue a habeas corpus order directing the government, including top government officials and law enforcement agencies, to immediately produce Kinyagia.
According to court documents, Kinyagia was taken by unidentified men armed with handguns, masked in balaclavas, and driving unmarked vehicles with distorted number plates.
Since the abduction, his family says they have not received any communication regarding his whereabouts or status.
"The disappearance is linked to the activist's vocal presence on social media and their active engagement in civic matters. Efforts to trace them have proved futile, with family members reporting the incident at Kinoo Police Station under OB Number 16/23/06/2025", court documents read.
According to LSK, no charges have been preferred against him, nor has there been any formal arraignment in court.
"This is a blatant violation of Article 49 of the Constitution and a breach of the Criminal Procedure Code."
The petition says the activist is held incommunicado, and no one knows his whereabouts.
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