Hussein Khalid: Boniface Mwangi is being held at Pangani Police Station
By Mustafa Juma, July 20, 2025Voices Of Community Activists and Leaders of Africa (VOCAL Africa) CEO Hussein Khalid has confirmed that human rights activist Boniface Mwangi is being held at Pangani Police Station in Nairobi.
Khalid, through a statement shared via his official X account on the night of Saturday, July 19, 2025, stated that they had established Mwangi’s whereabouts after an extensive search.
Khalid further stated that Mwangi will likely be held at the police station until Monday, July 21, 2025, when he is expected to be presented in court.
“After some searching, we have confirmed that @bonifacemwangi is being held at Pangani Police Station. All indications are that he’ll be held here until Monday, when he’ll be presented in court,” he stated.
Khalid had earlier indicated that they had lost track of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) vehicles while in a traffic jam, and upon their arrival at the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road, they were informed that the said vehicles had not entered the premises.
“Comrades, @bonifacemwangi is now missing. We lost the @DCI_Kenya cars in traffic, and when we got to the DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road, we were told they’re not here. His whereabouts are now unknown. Let the DCI Kenya tell Kenyans where they’ve taken Boniface Mwangi,” Khalid raised an alarm.
Boniface Mwangi’s arrest condemned
Mwangi’s arrest has triggered widespread outrage among civil society groups, opposition leaders, and members of the public who see his detention as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.
Several leaders, including Okiya Omtatah and Kalonzo Musyoka, have condemned the arrest, calling it an unconstitutional move aimed at silencing activists and critics of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
They argue that Mwangi’s actions fall squarely within the rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and protest, as guaranteed under Articles 33, 37, and 49 of the Kenyan Constitution.
Boniface Mwangi’s arrest
Mwangi’s wife, Njeri Mwangi, had earlier claimed that her husband was taken from their Lukenya home by police over links to terrorism.
In a video posted on X on Saturday, July 19, 2025, Njeri said unidentified individuals, believed to be police officers, stormed their home, known as Courage Base, and took Mwangi away, citing terrorism and arson as the reasons for his arrest.
“The police have come to our home in Courage Base and are taking my husband, talking of terrorism and arson! They’ve taken his gadgets and said they are taking him to DCI HQ. I can’t breathe,” she wrote.