Boniface Mwangi, Agather Atuhaire Sue Tanzania at East African Court Over Alleged Torture and Illegal Deportation

Human rights activists demand KSh129M compensation and public apologies from Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda

Kenyan human rights activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan counterpart Agather Atuhaire have taken the Tanzanian government to the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), accusing it of grave human rights violations, including torture, unlawful detention, and illegal deportation. The suit is backed by seven civil society organisations across the region.

In the petition, the two activists are demanding at least KSh129 million (approximately $1 million USD) in compensation, along with public apologies not just from Tanzania but also Kenya and Uganda, whom they claim were complicit in their illegal arrest and deportation.

The legal action is supported by the Agora Centre for Research, Centre for Strategic Litigation, East Africa Law Society, Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Innovations for Democratic Engagement and Action (IDEA), International Commission of Jurists – Kenyan Section (ICJ-Kenya), and the Pan African Lawyers Union.

According to a joint statement, the activists are also seeking rehabilitation and psychological support following their traumatic ordeal in Tanzania.

Chilling Ordeal

The case follows harrowing revelations made by Mwangi and Atuhaire in June 2025, in which they shared their experience of torture, assault, and degrading treatment allegedly at the hands of Tanzanian security operatives.

Mwangi described the ordeal as a nightmarish episode of blindfolded beatings, forced nudity, and brutal interrogations.

“We had been tortured, and we were told to strip naked and go bathe. We couldn’t walk and were told to crawl and wash off the blood,” Mwangi recounted. “We were handcuffed and blindfolded, so I didn’t even see her, but I heard her groaning in pain as they barked orders at us.”

He further stated that any attempt to communicate with each other during their detention was violently suppressed.

“Any attempt to speak to each other during the night we were tortured was met with kicks and insults,” he said. “We were removed from the torture location in different vehicles.”

Mwangi was later dumped in Ukunda, Kenya, on May 22, while Atuhaire was left in Mutukula, at the Uganda–Tanzania border, several hours later.

Regional Implications

The activists argue that their abduction and torture not only violated their rights under international law but also regional human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the East African Community Treaty.

They further allege that Kenyan and Ugandan authorities failed in their duty to protect them, accusing the two governments of aiding or failing to prevent the illegal cross-border renditions.

The legal challenge comes at a time when the East African region is under increasing scrutiny for deteriorating civic space and human rights violations targeting activists, journalists, and dissenters.

The East African Court of Justice, based in Arusha, Tanzania, has the jurisdiction to hear cases involving violations of the EAC Treaty, including those relating to human rights, rule of law, and democratic governance.