Lawyers representing Mukurwe-ini Member of Parliament John Kaguchia have raised concerns after claiming they were blocked from accessing their client at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi.
Advocate Ndegwa Njiru said he and fellow lawyer Wakili Muriu were denied entry while seeking to represent the lawmaker, who was arrested on Monday, August 3, 2026.
According to Njiru, DCI officials allegedly prevented Kaguchia’s legal team from meeting him despite their request to confirm his condition and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
The lawyer claimed that DCI Deputy Director of Operations, identified as Mr Bett, had issued instructions barring Kaguchia’s advocates from accessing the MP.
“We are at the DCI reception with Hon. Muriu, and the DCI has issued instructions that we should not be allowed to access our client, Hon. Kaguchia,” Njiru said in a statement shared on X.
The legal team further claimed they were not aware of Kaguchia’s exact location within the facility, the reasons for his arrest, or his current status.
Njiru also alleged that Kaguchia’s phone had been confiscated and that both his family members and lawyers had been unable to communicate with him.
The concerns came shortly after Kaguchia was arrested by DCI officers at the Citizen TV studios in Nairobi, where he had spent the night after appearing at the station following a public rally in Kieni, Nyeri County.
The MP had earlier said he was being investigated over remarks he made during the rally, arguing that his statements had been taken out of context and deliberately misinterpreted.
Kaguchia accused some political figures, including government digital strategist Dennis Itumbi, of presenting a distorted version of his remarks. Itumbi had claimed that the MP’s comments targeted supporters of President William Ruto.
However, Kaguchia maintained that his words had been misunderstood and that the allegations did not reflect his intended message.
The claims by Kaguchia’s lawyers have sparked debate over access to legal representation during investigations. Under Kenyan law, arrested persons have a right to communicate with their advocates and receive legal assistance.
The DCI had not issued an official statement addressing the allegations by the time of publication.
The arrest and the dispute over lawyer access add another chapter to growing political tensions surrounding leaders from the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.