Nairobi, Kenya – The Nairobi High Court has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to immediately release laptops and mobile phones belonging to blogger and IT expert Ndiangui Kinyagia, nearly six months after the court had already ordered their return.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Justice Lawrence Mugambi declared it illegal for the DCI to continue holding the property beyond the expiry of the court-authorised period.
Court’s Ruling
Justice Mugambi noted that the continued withholding of Kinyagia’s property without a fresh court order constitutes an illegality the court cannot condone.
“The continued holding of the laptops and mobile phones of the applicant is against the court order that authorised the confiscation of the same,” Justice Mugambi ruled.
“I thus order the restoration of the applicant’s property with immediate effect, as there is no basis for holding it, the respondents having violated the order that sanctioned the release of his property.”
The judge further observed that if the DCI was unable to complete investigations within the three-week period previously granted, it should have sought an extension from the court.
Previous Orders on Travel Documents
This latest ruling comes a month after Justice Bahati Mwamuye ordered the DCI to return Kinyagia’s passports and international vaccination card by December 22, 2025.
Kinyagia, represented by senior counsel Martha Karua, had filed a notice of motion on December 10, 2025, seeking a review of the court’s earlier decision that had rejected his request for the release of his travel documents.
In his application, Kinyagia argued that he needed the documents to travel to Florida, United States, where he had secured admission to pursue a master’s degree in science beginning in March 2026.
Justice Mwamuye agreed, ruling that the DCI had no lawful justification for retaining the documents and emphasizing the lengthy process involved in obtaining a student visa.
“The petitioner applicant has shown good and sufficient basis for this court to order the immediate release of the two passports and the international vaccination card,” Mwamuye stated.
Implications
The rulings underscore the judiciary’s insistence on upholding constitutional rights and due process, particularly in cases where investigative agencies are accused of overstepping their mandate. For Kinyagia, the decisions pave the way for both the restoration of his property and the pursuit of his academic ambitions abroad.
Conclusion
With the High Court’s latest directive, the DCI is under pressure to comply and release Kinyagia’s laptops and phones without further delay. The case highlights the importance of judicial oversight in safeguarding individual rights against unlawful state action.
