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June 25 protest: Kajiado court orders rights activist Bob Njagi detained 7 days
Kenyan activist Bob Njagi during a past interview.
A Kajiado court has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) seven days to detain activist Bob Njagi while detectives investigate him for an alleged offence of treason. The court has also authorised investigators to retain two mobile phones seized during Njagi's arrest for forensic analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.
Detectives in Kitengela, Kajiado County, arrested Mr Njagi on Wednesday, the day before the Gen Z anniversary commemoration. He was held incommunicado for 24 hours at an undisclosed police station and appeared before Kajiado Principal Magistrate David Mwangi on Thursday afternoon.
According to the charge sheet seen by the Nation, detectives had sought 14 days' custodial orders and permission to retain Mr Njagi's two mobile phones, confiscated during his arrest, for forensic analysis and data extraction in pursuit of the treason investigation.
Under Kenyan law, treason is punishable by death, although in practice, death sentences are often commuted to life imprisonment. The offence is governed by Section 40 of the Penal Code and entails severe acts against the state.
The magistrate granted the detectives seven days to hold Mr Njagi at Isinya Police Station, and also allowed them to retain his two mobile phones for forensic analysis.
"A custodial order do and is hereby issued for the said Bob Njagi, the respondent herein, to be detained at Isinya Police Station for seven days... court direct that any evidence extracted from the devices be processed and produced in accordance with Section 106B of the Evidence Act," the court ruled.
Njagi will appear in court on July 2, 2026.
Over the past two years, the leader of the Free Movement has had several encounters with security agencies.
On August 19, 2024, Njagi was reportedly abducted by unidentified men after being removed from a public transport vehicle in Mlolongo en route to his hometown of Kitengela.
He disappeared alongside the activist brothers Aslam and Jamil Longton in a case that attracted widespread attention and prompted legal action.
After 32 days in captivity, Njagi was released on September 20, 2024 and later recounted that he had been held in a dark room, tortured and interrogated about his activism.
In another incident, on October 1, 2025, Njagi and fellow activist Nicholas Oyoo were reportedly abducted in Uganda after attending a political event linked to opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi.
They were held for 38 days before being released in November 2025. Following their release, Njagi alleged that they had been detained at a Ugandan military facility and subjected to physical and psychological abuse.
Meanwhile, 123 youths arrested on Thursday in Kajiado County for allegedly inciting violence are due to appear in a Kajiado court later on Friday.
Among those arrested was Aslam Longton, one of the individuals linked to the widely publicised "Kitengela Three" case. Police also detained a vehicle belonging to his brother, Jamil Longton, which he was reportedly driving at the time of the arrest.
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