Kigame Petitions High Court to charge DPP, DCI, and NIS boss over protest killings

He has asked the High Court to allow him to privately prosecute top government officials — including the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) — over alleged crimes against humanity.

In a supplementary affidavit,through senior lawyer Gitobu Imanyara, the petition argues that the officials failed to investigate or prevent killings, abductions, and torture of civilians, despite reports from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and media coverage documenting 39 deaths, 361 injuries, and 32 abductions during the protests.

Kigame maintains  that while the government’s compensation panel acknowledges that violations may have occurred, it does not absolve state officials from potential criminal responsibility. 

Kigame is seeking leave from the High Court under Section 8(2) of the International Crimes Act and Article 157(6) of the Constitution to allow private prosecutions where state organs have not acted.

The petition also alleges that the NIS played a direct role in planning abductions, conducting surveillance, and assisting operations targeting civilians — acts which, if proven, could constitute aiding and abetting crimes against humanity.