Mwangi details three days of torture, abuse in Tanzania

Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi in a wheelchair at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, on May 22, 2025. He was dumped at Horohoro after detention in Tanzania. [Kelvin Karani, Standard] Rights activist Boniface Mwangi, has broken his silence following his release from detention in Tanzania, recounting a harrowing ordeal of torture and intimidation. "My body is broken in ways you will never know, but my spirit is very strong. I hope Agather is safe. They did terrible, horrible things to us," Mwangi said moments after landing at Wilson Airport from Mombasa. Mwangi and Ugandan journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire were arrested on Monday at the Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam, where they had travelled to observe the trial of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu. For three days, their whereabouts remained unknown. In his first public statement, Mwangi described the brutal treatment he endured at the hands of his captors. "I had been handcuffed and blindfolded from Monday night until this morning. We were treated worse than dogs-chained, blindfolded, and subjected to gruesome torture. They recorded everything they did to us and threatened to release the videos if we ever spoke out," he said. He accused Tanzanian authorities of perpetrating the abuse in the name of President Samia Suluhu's government. Sources told The Standard that Mwangi was detained in a basement cell at Tanzania's Immigration offices in Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian security agents blindfolded him, stripped him naked, tortured and ordered him to praise Suluhu. They repeatedly beat the soles of his feet with metal rods while demanding access to his laptop and mobile phone. According to the sources, Tanzanian security intelligence officers were keen to determine whether Mwangi had been in contact with Tanzanian opposition leaders. "They humiliated him in a despicable manner while taunting him to address them in the Queen's English," said a source close to Mwangi. Throughout his ordeal, Mwangi survived on bread and soda. On Thursday, he appeared on a wheelchair, visibly shaken, his legs swollen. Activist Boniface Mwangi at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, on May 22. 2025. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard] He recounted how his captors untied his hands and legs before forcibly ejecting him from a vehicle near the Horohoro border. He said he was ordered to jump while singing praises to Tanzanian President. "They forced me to chant, 'Thank you, Madam Suluhu,' while beating me," he said in pain at Moi International Airport, Mombasa. He recounted being dumped at the Kenya-Tanzania border at dawn on Thursday. "They gave me Sh400 and 20,000 Tanzanian shillings. I was blindfolded the entire time. When they left, I was told not to look back. A boda rider picked me up and helped me cross into Kenya. I walked for the first time yesterday (Thursday) after four days. I have been crawling because of how badly I was beaten and treated," he said. He expressed gratitude for the public outcry that contributed to his release. "If it were not for your strong voices against dictatorship, I would not be here today. Thank you so much to all the comrades, lawyers, and my family," he added. Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, confirmed Mwangi's release yesterday morning, noting that "quiet diplomacy" had been ongoing. "We have been engaging through diplomatic channels and the information I have is that he has been released," said Mudavadi. Activist Boniface Mwangi addresses the Press at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, after he was airlifted from Mombasa, on May 22. 2025. Mwangi was deported from Tanzania by road and abandoned in Ukunda. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard] Human rights organisations welcomed Mwangi's release and condemned the conditions of his detention. Vocal Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid who received Mwangi in Mombasa, confirmed that he had been tortured and abandoned at the border. Khalid however, blamed Mudavadi for failing to intervene during Mwangi's abduction, detention and torture. He said that if Kenya is complicit in the detention of Mwangi, they will invoke the international community. "This trend of authoritarianism in the East African Community is becoming deeply concerning. He was barely clothed'," said Khalid. "Silence is complicity-the EAC must not become a syndicate of autocracy or an international crime scene," said Police Reforms Working Group-Kenya (PRWG-K) in a statement

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