DCI scores PR win as missing blogger Kinyagia resurfaces alive » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya July 3 – The apparent confirmation that missing blogger and activist Ndiangui Kinyagia is alive, healthy, and in hiding has seemingly vindicated the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) who have long faced accusations of orchestrating illegal abductions of state critics.

Kinyagia, who had been missing for 12 days, was confirmed to be alive on Thursday after Advocate Wahome Thuku, speaking on behalf of Kinyagia’s family, revealed that he had gone into hiding out of fear of being pursued by DCI officers.

His disappearance had sparked public outcry, with pressure mounting on the police and DCI to account for his whereabouts.

The concerns were heightened by Kinyagia’s prior social media post detailing the itinerary, including a march to State House ahead of June 25, 2025, a day marking the first anniversary of the Gen Z protests.

DCI Director Mohamed Amin on June 30, 2025 publicly stated that Kinyagia was not in police custody, despite being a person of interest due to his social media posts.

The statement, however, was met with widespread skepticism, including from the High Court, which dismissed the explanation as “pure drama” and ordered that Kinyagia be produced in court on Thursday, either “dead or alive.”

Coincidentally or not, Kinyagia’s reappearance came just hours before Amin was expected in court, leading many to speculate on the timing.

Still, the turn of events appears to hand the DCI a win, reinforcing its position that it had no role in the blogger’s disappearance.

While many Kenyans have expressed relief that Ndiangui Kinyagia is alive and safe, serious questions remain about how he was able to remain in hiding for 12 days without detection by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

With Parliament having recently approved a hefty Sh45.85 billion budget for the NIS in the 2024/2025 financial year, Kinyagia’s mysterious disappearance and sudden resurfacing have cast a spotlight on the effectiveness or failure of the country’s intelligence apparatus.

By the time of publishing, the DCI had yet to issue a formal statement on the latest developments, and it remained unclear whether DCI boss Amin would still appear in court as previously ordered.