Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi is currently in custody at Pangani Police Station, facing accusations related to the facilitation of terrorist activities during the June 25 anti-government protests. His arrest, carried out on Saturday, July 19, by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), has sparked outrage among civil society and his legal team, who describe the operation as “unlawful”.
According to an official update from the DCI, Mwangi was arrested at his Lukenya residence in Machakos County. Officers seized two mobile phones, a laptop, and notebooks. He was later escorted to his Mageuzi Hub office in Hurlingham, Nairobi, where the DCI claims they recovered:
- Nine external hard drives
- Two laptops
- Company seals for Brave Media Ltd and Courage Ltd
- One company stamp
- Six cheque books
- Copies of stamp duty documents
- Two unused tear gas canisters
- One 7.62mm blank round
Mwangi is set to be arraigned on Monday, July 21, although his lawyers say they are yet to see the official charge sheet or entries in the OB (Occurrence Book).
Lawyers Condemn Arrest as Flawed and Abusive
Boniface Mwangi’s lawyer James Wanjeri criticized the raid and subsequent seizure of items from Mwangi’s home:
“Since the 17th, today is the day police have decided to act. What is even more worrying is that the order is directed to Mageuzi Hub. Why then did the police go to Boniface Mwangi’s residence and confiscate items from there? This order does not give them the right to seize anything from his house.”
His co-counsel, Ndegwa Njiru, questioned the authenticity of the court order used to authorize the raid.
“When a court issues an order, it must describe the magistrate’s name and rank. This one is merely signed ‘by a magistrate.’ That omission raises serious legal concerns. It’s a manipulation—an attempt to use legal instruments to perpetuate unlawful seizure.”
Njeri Mwangi: ‘They’re Fishing for Charges’
Njeri Mwangi, Boniface’s wife, confirmed that her husband was being held at Pangani Police Station and he was briefly taken to DCI Headquarters on Sunday morning to record a statement but refused to sign documents he disagreed with. He was returned to Pangani.
“The OCS and DCI Starehe officers told us they’re just holding him — not the ones who made the arrest. We haven’t seen the OB entry or any official charge. First, they said arson, robbery with violence, money laundering; now it’s tear gas canisters and bullets.”
She also dismissed the alleged evidence of tear gas canisters and a blank round:
“People collect tear gas canisters. The officers came in knowing what they wanted to find, and they’ve now plastered it all over their social media. Their goal is to pin something on Boni — anything. Even suggesting we’d store explosives in our own office is ridiculous.”
Political and Civil Society Response
The arrest comes just a day after Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire filed a case at the East African Court of Justice against Tanzania, alleging enforced disappearance and torture by Tanzanian authorities earlier this year. The activists are demanding compensation and public apologies from the governments of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Civil society groups have condemned Mwangi’s arrest as part of a wider crackdown on dissent, particularly targeting vocal critics of the state.
