Activist Boniface Mwangi fears for life after police bug phone

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi gives thumbs up during a press conference in Nairobi on August 27, 2025, after announcing he will run for President in the 2027 elections. [AFP]

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi said on Wednesday that he fears for his life after authorities installed spyware on his phone during his arrest last year.

Police raided Mwangi's house and office in July 2025, confiscating his mobile phones and computer hard drives, accusing him of "facilitation of terrorist acts".

Research by Citizen Lab at Canada's Toronto University published on Tuesday found that a surveillance tool developed by Israeli company Cellebrite was installed on Mwangi's phone without his consent.

Cellebrite's tool is used by law enforcement agencies worldwide to unlock smartphones and search for evidence.

Amnesty has raised concerns over its use in targeting journalists and activists.

According to the Citizen Lab report, Kenyan police gained access to everything on Mwangi's phone including "messages, private files, personal documents, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive data".

Mwangi told AFP on Wednesday that he had "life-threatening concerns" and felt "violated" by the actions.

He stressed that scores of people had been killed or disappeared by police since massive anti-government protests in 2024.

"I feel I could be a target for elimination," Mwangi said.

"Now the government has an overview of who is in my inner circle, and I fear for their safety too."

There was a spate of abductions targeting government critics in the wake of the 2024 protests. The government vowed an investigation but has yet to provide any findings.

Mwangi has said he will run for the presidency in 2027, and has been at the forefront of protests against President William Ruto's government and extrajudicial killings in the east African nation.

"The level of targeted harassment and violations has increased since I announced I'm running for president," he told AFP.

Mwangi expressed concern that his presidential campaign team could also be under surveillance.

AFP has contacted the Kenya police for comment.

Mwangi, a former photojournalist, has been arrested several times.

He said he would use Citizen Lab's findings in court to challenge the criminal charges he still faces from his arrest last year.

"We will ask the court to order the government not to leak the contents of my phone online especially my family pictures," he said.

Last year, Citizen Lab also found that spyware was installed on the devices of four Kenyan filmmakers arrested over links to a BBC documentary on security service killings during the 2024 protests.