By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A prominent Kenyan human rights activist, Boniface Mwangi, has been arrested over his alleged involvement in facilitating “terrorist acts” linked to deadly anti-government protests last month, police said on Sunday.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on X that detectives had arrested Mwangi at his home in Machakos County on Saturday and had seized “two unused tear gas canisters and one 7.62mm blank round”, along with two mobile phones, a laptop and notebooks while plans are underway to arraign him on Monday.
In addition to the terrorism charges, Mwangi will also be charged over unlawful possession of ammunition, the X post said.
Hundreds of Kenyans took to the streets last month following the death of a blogger, Albert Ojwang, in police custody. His death under controversial circumstances reignited a protest movement fuelled by anger over the cost of living and what activists say is police brutality and corruption.
The protests span from the failed efforts by the President William Ruto to increase tax last year amidst high cost-of-living. The fallout of the demonstrations led to the death of over 50 persons following confrontations with security forces.
A government-owned rights body, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said 19 people were killed in the protests on the recent June 25, which the Directorate of Criminal Investigations referred to in its post about Mwangi.
Another 31 people died when protests flared again on July 7, the commission said.
The protesters are mostly young adults desperate for job opportunities who organise through social media channels. Mwangi is a well-known activist who once ran for parliament on an anti-corruption platform.
In May, he was arrested and deported from neighbouring Tanzania, where he had travelled to observe a hearing in a treason case against detained opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
He said afterwards that members of the Tanzanian security forces had sexually assaulted him during his detention, and on Friday he filed a complaint at the East African Court of Justice in connection with those allegations.
