Boniface Mwangi to be arraigned on terror charges amid outcry from activists

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), a search conducted at Mwangi’s Mageuzi Hub in Nairobi’s Hurlingham area yielded two unused tear gas canisters and a single blank round of ammunition.

Detectives claim the items are evidence of Mwangi’s involvement in what they describe as “acts intended to cause public disorder and fear.”

The charges have sparked immediate backlash from human rights defenders, legal advocates, and civil society groups who gathered outside Pangani Police Station on Sunday morning to protest his continued detention.

Chanting slogans and carrying placards, the demonstrators dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. They accuse the government of weaponizing terrorism laws to silence dissent and intimidate critics.

“He was taken to the DCI this morning, and we still don’t understand the basis of these terrorism allegations,” said Njanja Maina, a lawyer who has been following the case. “What was allegedly recovered from his premises doesn’t come close to the threshold of a terror-related offence.”

Mwangi’s spouse, Njeri Mwangi, echoed the sentiment, stating: “What we’re witnessing is outright intimidation. Coming for Boniface in this manner is a clear sign of what’s to come for those who dare to speak out.”

Human rights campaigner Hussein Khalid criticized the government’s approach, saying: “Activists are not terrorists. This misuse of anti-terror laws to silence civil voices is unacceptable, and no amount of intimidation will deter us.”

Mwanase Ahmed, another activist, warned: “A government that fears its own citizens is a government in crisis.”

A coalition of human rights organizations and pan-Africanist movements issued a joint statement condemning the arrest, warning that the increasing trend of arbitrary detentions and questionable charges against government critics threatens the very foundations of Kenya’s democracy.

Mwangi’s arrest comes just days after he and Ugandan journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire jointly filed a lawsuit against the Tanzanian government. The duo is seeking compensation amounting to Ksh130 million over claims of unlawful arrest, detention, and torture during a regional civil society conference held in Tanzania earlier this year.