Activist Boniface Mwangi has spoken out with raw emotion and heartbreaking detail about the horrifying abuse he endured while detained by Tanzanian authorities in May 2025.
During a press briefing on June 2, Mwangi fought back tears as he described being stripped, tied upside down, and physically violated with objects. “They tied me up, played gospel music to drown my screams, and took turns abusing me,” he recounted. “They asked who sent me. Then they said ‘weka moto’ before torturing me further.”
Mwangi had traveled with fellow East African activists to show solidarity with Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu, only to be met with inhumane brutality. Ugandan journalist Agatha Atuhaire, who was detained alongside him, revealed she was also stripped and assaulted after resisting orders.
Despite being tortured in front of lawyers, Mwangi says the Kenyan government did little to stand up for him. “I’ve stood with others across East Africa. But this time, no one stood with me,” he said, his voice cracking.
The two were eventually dumped near the border—battered, humiliated, and abandoned. Their story has now ignited fresh outrage across the region, with growing calls for accountability and justice in the face of this unspeakable cruelty.
By Kenyans