I'm ready to testify, activist Ndiang'ui Kinyagia tells court

When software engineer Ndiang’ui Kinyagia appeared before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, on July 3, 2025 after disappearing for 13 days. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

IT expert and activist Ndiang’ui Kinyagia has told the High Court he is ready to take the stand and explain his controversial disappearance, bringing a new twist to a case that had gripped the nation amid rising public concern over enforced disappearances.

Appearing before Justice Chacha Mwita, Kinyagia declared his willingness to take the stand and share the full details of his alleged abduction.

Justice Mwita welcomed the IT expert’s readiness to speak out and said the country deserves to know the truth. He gave Kinyagia 14 days to appoint legal representation and prepare his testimony.

The judge directed that Kinyagia and his cousin, Lilian Wanjiku, who was also reported missing and later resurfaced, take the witness stand on September 16, 2025.

This comes as senior counsel Martha Karua, who had been instrumental in filing the petition alongside the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), formally expressed her intention to withdraw from the case filed against the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The society had originally backed the petition, which accused the DCI of involvement in Kinyagia’s alleged disappearance.

Kinyagia had been missing for days after a reported raid on his residence by over ten unmarked Subaru vehicles allegedly linked to the DCI. His family claimed the officers broke into his house without a warrant, seized two laptops, two phones, passports, and other personal documents, then left behind a handwritten inventory on paper bearing the DCI logo before locking up the house.

The disappearance sparked a public outcry, especially among Gen Z protesters and digital activists. Kinyagia had been one of the most visible online voices during the June 25 youth-led protests, which called out government policies and rallied against police brutality.