Boniface Mwangi recounts arrest and detention ordeal
Activist Boniface Mwangi has recounted the moment he was arrested at his Lukenya home on Saturday before being charged with the possession of ammunition without a license.
Speaking after securing his release on Monday, July 21, 2025, on a personal bond of Ksh1 million, Mwangi stated that the ordeal left him with flashbacks of a similar arrest in Tanzania, which saw him tortured and dehumanised.
You might also like
“I was at home on Saturday, July 19, 2025, and when I went to the bathroom and came back to the sitting room, I found guys in shoes inside my office. I was like: Why are you in shoes in my house?” Mwangi recounted.
PTSD from Tanzania ordeal
“They surrounded me, and I had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from what happened to me in Tanzania. I told them that I was not able to breathe and that they should allow me to breathe.”
The officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), he said, confiscated some of his gadgets in the house before leaving with him in their vehicle.
“So, they took me, my phones, and other phones in the house. They also went through every single room in the house and took laptops,” Mwangi stated.
Confiscated personal effects
“They also confiscated my journals and notebooks and then told me that I was under arrest and that they were coming with me to the DCI headquarters in Nairobi.
When we got to Nairobi, they headed to my office and had a search warrant. They said I was having money and paying people, but upon searching, they found nothing. “
He revealed that the initial terrorism charges were made known to him after the officers went with him to his office and searched the area.
“When at the office, they told me that they were just going to search my office and let me go; after the search, they told me that I was under arrest for terrorism,” Mwangi said.
Kahawa Principal Magistrate Gideon Kiage Oenga, in his ruling, stated that there are no compelling reasons presented by the prosecution that can warrant orders of detaining Mwangi.
Police have also been barred from re-arresting Mwangi concerning the case until it is heard and determined.
