The High Court has awarded blogger and tech entrepreneur Ndiang’ui Kinyagia Ksh5 million after finding that police violated his rights during a raid at his home in Kinoo in June 2025.
Justice Patricia Nyaundi ruled on Tuesday, September 22, that police unlawfully entered Kinyagia’s residence and took his belongings during the operation.
The judge found that the raid violated his rights to privacy, property, dignity, personal security and freedom of movement.
The court ordered the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Inspector General of Police to pay Kinyagia Ksh5 million in damages.
Justice Nyaundi also barred the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from prosecuting Kinyagia over investigations that led to the raid.
The case began in June 2025 after Kinyagia went into hiding after learning that detectives were looking for him.
His family and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) raised concerns over his whereabouts, with allegations that suspected DCI officers had raided his home and taken his electronic devices without a court order.
Kinyagia later appeared at the Milimani Law Courts in July 2025, where he said he had gone into hiding because he feared for his safety.
He subsequently asked the High Court for protection from arrest as he prepared an affidavit explaining what had happened.
The court issued orders barring his arrest and later gave him time to give his account of the events.
At the time, the DCI accused Kinyagia of staging his own disappearance. His supporters, however, called for investigations into the raid and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
The case also attracted attention over Kinyagia’s social media posts linked to anti-government protests, including a timetable for planned demonstrations.
LSK and Senior Counsel Martha Karua later withdrew from representing him, citing inconsistencies in his account and a breakdown in the lawyer-client relationship.
LSK had initially supported a habeas corpus petition alleging that Kinyagia had been abducted by state agents. Subsequent investigations, however, indicated that he had deliberately gone into hiding.
The latest ruling has now awarded Kinyagia damages over the rights violations and stopped any prosecution arising from the investigations conducted after the 2025 raid.