Boniface Mwangi says he’s ready to cooperate amid safety concerns in Tanzania
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has expressed fear for his safety in Tanzania after an unsettling encounter with suspected plainclothes officers who showed up at his hotel room in Dar es Salaam in the dead of night.
Fear in Tanzania
In a video posted on his official Twitter account on Monday, May 19, 2025, Mwangi said he declined to open his door for the men, who claimed to be police officers, citing Tanzania’s recent history of abductions and state intimidation of dissenters.
“I’m scared of my life because there are a lot of abductions in this country, a lot of executions in this country and people are in jail for refusing Suluhu’s dictatorship,” Mwangi said in the video, adding that he would not allow himself to be taken without a fight.
He asked the men to slide their identification under the door, but they declined.
Growing agitated, one of the officers told Mwangi that he was making matters worse by refusing to cooperate.
In response, Mwangi dared them to break down the door if they truly intended to arrest him.
They later left without further incident.
Legal watch
In a follow-up tweet posted shortly after, Mwangi confirmed that the officers had vacated the area around his hotel room and appeared to have moved to the lobby.
“The unidentified armed men have left my door. I’m informed they have moved to the hotel lobby. My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go with those people when the Tanzanian lawyers who are following up on this matter arrive. For now, l will stay put. Thank you for the solidarity,” Mwangi wrote.
The incident adds to mounting concerns over the treatment of foreign activists and observers in Tanzania.
Mwangi was in the country to attend a court session for opposition figure Tundu Lissu, alongside fellow Kenyans Willy Mutunga, Hanifa Adan, and Hussein Khalid, who were earlier detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport and later deported without explanation.
The growing crackdown on civil society and political dissent has raised alarm among rights groups across East Africa. Mwangi’s ordeal has since drawn condemnation from local and international advocates demanding accountability from the Tanzanian authorities.
