Nairobi, September 10 – Four filmmakers linked to the BBC documentary Blood Parliament claim the Kenyan government secretly installed surveillance spyware on their devices while in police custody.
A forensic report by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto confirmed that filmmaker Nick Wambugu’s phone was infected with FlexiSPY, a commercial spyware. Another filmmaker, Adagala, had his phone confiscated on May 2, 2025, and returned on July 10, 2025. Analysis revealed FlexiSPY was installed on May 21, 2025, while the device was in state custody.
FlexiSPY can secretly record calls, monitor messages, track location, activate microphones, and alter or erase data. It has been used globally against activists, journalists, dissidents, and by criminal networks.
Citizen Lab noted that while FlexiSpy was confirmed, other spyware or manipulations during custody could not be rules out.
The four were arrested in May 2025 and held at Muthaiga Police Station, just days after the BBC aired its exposé alleging Kenyan security forces fired on anti-tax protesters outside Parliament in June 2024, killing and injuring several people.
The suspects were arraigned under a miscellaneous application that remains open and are currently out on bail. Their case, set for mention on September 10, 2025, did not proceed as the court was not sitting.
