KHRC demands release of activist Boniface Mwangi
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has slammed the government over the harassment of political activists following the arrest of Boniface Mwangi on Saturday, July 19, 2025, in Nairobi.
In a statement on its X page, the rights body demanded the immediate release of the activist.
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“The @WilliamsRuto‘s regime must end its alarming tactic of slapping activists and protesters—who are resisting authoritarianism—with trumped-up terrorism-related charges.
“This troubling escalation is evident in today’s abduction of @bonifacemwangi and reports that the DCI is planning to charge him with terrorism. The DCI must immediately release Mwangi and drop all malicious charges,” the body stated.
This development comes after Mwangi’s wife, Njeri Mwangi, claimed that her husband had been taken from their Lukenya home by police over links to terrorism.
Mwangi’s arrest
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.
In the accompanying video, several individuals, some appearing in civilian clothing, are seen loading items into a vehicle within the compound, though it was not immediately clear whether they were uniformed police or plainclothes operatives.
The brief clip has since gone viral, sparking alarm across civil society and social media circles.
The news of the arrest triggered a response online, with the #FreeBonifaceMwangi hashtag trending shortly afterwards.
Whereabouts unknown
Human rights activist Hussein Khalid and lawyer Njeru Ndegwa later confirmed the arrest via their social media pages.
“I can confirm that @bonifacemwangi has been arrested at his home, Courage Base. Together with his lawyers @JamesKWaNjeri and @eyanm, we are following up to understand why,” Hussein posted on X.
Ndegwa stated that Mwangi had been taken to an unknown destination moments after the arrest.
“Dear Kenyans, Boniface Mwangi has been arrested by the DCI, We were present during the search at his office, Upon completion of the search, the DCI bundled him into their notorious Subaru and drove him to an unknown destination. Boniface is now missing. We cannot trace him,” his statement read.
