The National Police Service (NPS) has ordered activist Ndiangui Kinyagia to present himself to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, hours after he resurfaced.
NPS Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, in a statement on Thursday evening, urged Ndiangui to present himself and record a statement since he was a person of interest in the ongoing investigations.
Nyaga went ahead to reiterate the police service's initial stance that Ndiangui was neither arrested nor was he in police custody during his 13 days of disappearance.
While setting the record straight, the police spokesperson expressed concerns over the emerging trend of individuals faking abductions to exploit public outrage.
According to him, such acts undermined the integrity of the law enforcement efforts and also damaged the reputation of the police service.
"Ndiangui had been reported missing, and information circulating on social as well as mainstream media accused the Police Service of allegedly abducting him. Nonetheless, he remains a person of interest to the police and is hereby urged to present himself to the DCI Headquarters to record a statement," read part of the police statement.
"The Service reiterates its earlier response that Ndiangui Kinyagia was not in police custody. We take great exception to the emerging trend whereby individuals feign abduction and provide false information to the police, intending to generate a misleading narrative," the statement added.
To prevent a recurrence of the same, Nyaga warned Kenyans to stop staging abductions, adding that such acts amounted to a criminal offence and could attract severe punishment.
The police service further expressed its commitment to upholding the highest standards of fidelity to the Constitution, including operational independence and impartiality.
Meanwhile, the summons comes hours after the IT expert and online commentator resurfaced from hiding and presented himself in court after he went missing for 13 days.
Kinyagia went missing from his home in Kinoo in Kimabu County on June 22, with initial, unverified reports from witnesses purporting that he was forcibly taken out of his house by unknown people.
His disappearance triggered public outrage, prompting the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and other human rights groups to file petitions in court demanding his release.
However, on Thursday morning, Kinyagia's family lawyer confirmed that he had been found alive and safe, adding that he had gone into hiding for fear of being arrested.
