By TWV Team
In a chilling escalation of Kenya’s deepening political unrest, renowned activist and human rights defender Boniface Mwangi was arrested on Saturday in a dramatic early-morning raid at his residence, known as Courage Base. His arrest comes amid a sweeping and increasingly violent government crackdown on dissent, as nationwide protests against state corruption and economic mismanagement continue to rock the country.
Mwangi’s arrest was confirmed by Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Vocal Africa, who stated that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stormed the activist’s home and took him away without warning. “I can confirm that Boniface Mwangi has been arrested at his home Courage Base by officers from the DCI. Together with his lawyers, we are following up to understand why,” Khalid said.
Mwangi’s wife, Njeri Mwangi, sounded the alarm in a harrowing social media post: “The police have come to our home in Courage Base and are taking my husband, talking of terrorism and arson! They’ve taken his gadgets and said they are taking him to DCI Headquarters. I can’t breathe.”
Authorities have yet to release a formal statement on Mwangi’s arrest, but reports suggest he is being investigated for alleged involvement in the recent anti-government demonstrations that have engulfed Nairobi and several other towns. The protests, fuelled by public outrage over tax hikes and economic despair, have descended into chaos, with properties looted and set ablaze.
More than 1,000 people, predominantly youth, have been arrested in connection with the unrest, with many already facing charges ranging from unlawful assembly to destruction of property. In what is now being described as one of Kenya’s darkest political moments in recent years, human rights organisations estimate that at least 50 protesters have been killed by security forces during violent clashes.
Mwangi’s arrest is widely seen as a deliberate attempt to silence one of the country’s most vocal critics of state excesses. A veteran of Kenya’s civil society movement, Mwangi has spent over a decade speaking truth to power, championing transparency, accountability, and justice.
His detention has triggered a storm of condemnation from legal and human rights circles. Advocates are demanding that the DCI immediately disclose the legal basis for his arrest, amid growing fears of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.
“This is no longer just about Boniface Mwangi,” one lawyer said. “It is about whether Kenya is descending into a police state, where activism is criminalised, and silence is enforced through fear.”
As the nation waits for answers, the silence from the authorities is deafening. The arrest of Boniface Mwangi may mark not just the loss of a voice, but the shrinking of a nation’s democratic space.
