By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, August 3, 2026 - Questions over the arrest of Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia intensified on Monday after his lawyers claimed they had been denied access to the legislator hours after he was taken into custody by detectives and driven to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi.
The MP was arrested outside the Royal Media Services premises after spending the night at the media house, where he had sought refuge following claims that police were pursuing him over controversial political remarks made during a television interview.
Speaking outside the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road, High Court advocate Ndegwa Njiru said Kaguchia's legal team and family had been unable to see or communicate with him since his arrest.
"We have been at the reception since the time Kaguchia was arrested. We have not been able to access our client. After Kaguchia was arrested, instructions were firm that we should not access our client," Njiru told journalists.
He claimed the lawyers had not been informed of the MP's whereabouts, the reasons for his arrest or his condition.
"So even as we address the media at this time, we have not been able to access him. We do not know his whereabouts, we do not know his status, we do not know the reason he has been arrested," he said.
Njiru further alleged that Kaguchia's mobile phone had been confiscated, preventing him from communicating with his family or legal representatives.
"His phone has been confiscated. He has not been allowed to access any member of the family or the advocates," he claimed.
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The legal team has now demanded that the DCI publicly confirm whether the legislator is in its custody and disclose where he is being held.
"We are still waiting to hear the directions from the DCI himself to confirm to the country whether the MP for Mukurwe-ini is within their custody, whether they have arrested him, and they disclose the location because it is important for us to know whether there is any record detailing his whereabouts," Njiru said.
Kaguchia was arrested on Monday morning after leaving the Royal Media Services studios, where he had remained overnight following an appearance on Inooro TV's Kiririmbi programme.
The arrest is linked to investigations into remarks he allegedly made during a political rally in Kieni, Nyeri County, which authorities are examining as possible inflammatory or inciteful statements. Before his arrest, the MP had claimed on social media that police had surrounded the media house and erected roadblocks in anticipation of detaining him.
By the time of publication, the DCI had not publicly responded to the allegations by Kaguchia's lawyers or announced the specific offences, if any, under investigation