Activist Boniface Mwangi says assaulted, robbed by Nairobi cops

Activist Boniface Mwangi says he was violently assaulted and robbed by police officers in Nairobi earlier this month.

In a social media post on Monday, Mwangi said on the night of April 2, three police officers stormed their Sema Ukweli office in Hurlingham at around 9:30 p.m., allegedly responding to a noise complaint.

According to Mwangi, one appeared visibly intoxicated and was chewing miraa when he entered the office.

"He started roughing us up immediately," Mwangi wrote. "When I questioned why he was carrying a firearm while intoxicated, a scuffle broke out."

The activist claims the officer tried to cock his firearm and aim it at him, but a colleague intervened and pushed the weapon away. He added that he was then handcuffed, beaten, and dragged out of the office by the three officers.

The force used during the arrest reportedly left him with severe injuries on his wrists, knee, and ribs.

"As they forced me into the police vehicle, [the officer] hit me hard with the butt of his gun," he said. " Later, inside the cell at Kilimani Police Station, he continued assaulting me, punching me repeatedly while another officer held me down."

Upon Mwangi's colleagues’ intervention, the officers reportedly stopped the beating.

In the early hours of April 3, the Kilimani Officer Commanding Station (OCS) found the activist in pain and ordered his transfer to Nairobi Hospital, where he says he underwent scans and examinations for internal injuries.

Though no fractures were found, Mwangi sustained bruises, swelling, and blurred vision in one eye.

After being discharged, Mwangi was returned to the police station, where he formally reported the assault.

But despite assurances that the matter was under investigation and requests from the police not to publicise the incident, Mwangi says he was stunned to learn that the officers had quietly filed charges against him for "offensive conduct and assault."

The charges were filed in his absence at Kibera Law Courts on April 7. Mwangi, who had travelled abroad for work, was represented by his lawyer in court, who presented travel documents verifying his trip.

Nonetheless, an arrest warrant was issued after he failed to appear, and a new plea-taking date was set for April 22.

"This is the kind of impunity we live with," Mwangi wrote. "I was assaulted, robbed of my personal belongings — my watch and AirPods — and I’m the one being charged," he said.

Mwangi added that he has since filed a formal complaint with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), citing fears of a cover-up and seeking justice.