The family of Ndiang’ui Kinyagia, a 35-year-old IT expert, is in distress following his disappearance on Saturday.

Kinyagia, known for his online presence through his X account Daguin Dd, had been mobilising support for Gen Z protest anniversary. His family alleges he was abducted by officers believed to be from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and are demanding answers on his whereabouts and well-being.

His mother, Margaret Rukwaro, said Ndiang’ui was last heard to them at 10am 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.

She said by 1pm her son’s phone and WhatsApp went offline, raising concern. “I panicked. I stayed up the entire night trying to call him. As a mother, I felt something was terribly wrong,” Rukwaro said. Her suspicions deepened the following day when his online activity stopped, highly unusual for her son.

Concerned, she asked her daughter, Njeri to check on him at his Kinoo residence. On Monday, they visited the house and were met with chilling revelations from neighbours.

“They told us that on Saturday at around 2pm, 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 9pm, when they broke in and ransacked the house,” Rukwaro said.

The officers reportedly left with two laptops, two phones, two passports, and a yellow fever card. The caretaker insisted on an inventory, which was written on a paper bearing a DCI logo.

The family headed to Kinoo Police Station to report. Shockingly, Rukwaro said the OCS claimed to have no knowledge of the raid. “He told us he should have been informed, and gave us an OB (occurrence book) 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?” said Rukwaro.

Njeri said: “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 questioned the rationale behind the arrest, linking it to Kinyagia’s role in publicising the Gen Z protest programme online. “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,” said Njeri.

The Law Society of Kenya condemned what it termed a grave violation of constitutional rights.

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

The family’s lawyer Wahome Thuku termed the incident a serious breach of due process and a case of targeted 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 said the family has fulfilled its legal obligation by reporting the matter to the police. The next step, he said, was to file a habeas corpus application, to compel the authorities produce Kanyagia.

“We reasonably believe the police know where he is or are directly involved. The courts must act swiftly,” he said.