Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have dismissed allegations of phone surveillance, calling them baseless and misleading.

In a Friday morning statement, the agency denied a Daily Nation report that accused them of monitoring mobile phones and other digital gadgets.

The publication had alleged that investigators installed spyware on activist Bryan Adagala’s devices to track his communication and online activity.

It further claimed the software was implanted on Adagala’s phone—belonging to one of the Blood Parliament filmmakers—on May 21 at 5:17 p.m., when police allegedly seized it.

The gadget was eventually handed back to him on July 10. According to the article, the spyware in question is a commercially available tool that can be easily installed on devices once someone has physical access.

However, detectives dismissed these claims, arguing that the Daily Nation report was intended to mislead the public and tarnish the credibility of the DCI.

“The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) wishes to address the misleading claims published in today’s Daily Nation regarding alleged surveillance of mobile phones and other digital devices by the DCI.

“We categorically refute these claims as false and sensational, aimed at misguiding the public and undermining the integrity of the DCI. However, we cannot disclose specific details about the allegations at this time, since they are now a matter of ongoing court proceedings,” stated DCI in part.

In their statement, DCI officers reassured Kenyans of both their safety and privacy, stressing that all their operations are conducted strictly within the law.

They maintained that the agency is committed to protecting the rights of citizens and does not engage in practices that violate constitutional privacy safeguards.

The claims were made in court by a lawyer representing four filmmakers who accused DCI of installing spyware on his clients’ devices after their arrest over the BBC Blood Parliament documentary.

He stated on Wednesday, September 10, that an independent forensic review by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab confirmed surveillance software had been planted on the filmmakers’ gadgets while in police custody.

According to lawyer Ian Mutiso, the devices were returned to his clients on July 10, 2025, after which he commissioned Citizen Lab to conduct the forensic analysis.